Bayshore Kettlebells

12 minute Bowl Picks

2011-12-06T13:41:00.000-08:00

GILDAN NEW MEXICO BOWL - Wyoming vs. Temple
Temple - They should be an emerging team. They have the potential to have a great recruiting base is they can steal Philly and Jersey from Penn State. Strike while the iron is not.

FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL - Utah State vs. Ohio
Ohio

R+L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWL - Louisiana-Lafayette vs. San Diego State
SDSU

BEEF 'O' BRADY'S BOWL ST. PETERSBURG - Marshall vs. Florida International
FIU - may go to this game.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY CREDIT UNION POINSETTIA BOWL - No. 18 TCU vs. Louisiana Tech
TCU, I bet they are pissed to be playing this early.

MAACO BOWL LAS VEGAS - No. 7 Boise State vs. Arizona State
BSU, but watch out for Vontez Burfict. Also see TCU.

SHERATON HAWAII BOWL - No. 21 Southern Miss vs. Nevada
Southern Miss

AdvoCare V100 INDEPENDENCE BOWL - North Carolina vs. Missouri
Missouri

LITTLE CAESARS BOWL - Purdue vs. Western Michigan
Purdue

BELK BOWL - North Carolina State vs. Louisville
Louisville, emerging team with and emerging Coach and Recruiter (Charlie Strong)

MILITARY BOWL - PRESENTED BY NORTHROP GRUMMAN - Air Force vs. Toledo
BRIDGEPOINT EDUCATION HOLIDAY BOWL - No. 24 Texas vs. California
Texas, even though I don't give two shits about this game.

CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL - Notre Dame vs. Florida State
I am going to this game, thanks to my girlfriend's Dad.

VALERO ALAMO BOWL - No. 12 Baylor vs. Washington
Baylor. This matchup reminds me of the old Holiday Bowl type of high scoring game. Watch Robert Griffin III

BELL HELICOPTER ARMED FORCES BOWL - Tulsa vs. Brigham Young
BYU

NEW ERA PINSTRIPE BOWL - Iowa State vs. Rutgers
Iowa State

FRANKLIN AMERICAN MORTGAGE MUSIC CITY BOWL - Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State
Wake Forest

INSIGHT BOWL - No. 14 Oklahoma vs. Iowa
Oklahoma will stew on their beatdown from Okla. State for over three weeks.

MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL OF TEXAS - Northwestern vs. Texas A&M
Northwestern because of Pat Fitzgerald

HYUNDAI SUN BOWL - Utah vs. Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech. Why? They suck less.

KRAFT FIGHT HUNGER BOWL - UCLA vs. Illinois
Both of these teams are terrible. Edge: UCLA. Reason: Don't care.

AutoZone LIBERTY BOWL - Vanderbilt vs. Cincinnati
These are two teams that I like, with entertaining quarterbacks. Cincinnati. You know what is funny, I still can't spell Cincinnati. Also, there is a small town near Cornell named Cincinnatus. I wonder in there are many Cincinnatuses in a Cincinnati.

Chick-fil-A BOWL - No. 25 Auburn vs. Virginia
In the upset, an emerging UVA team

TICKETCITY BOWL - No. 19 Houston vs. No. 22 Penn State
Houston

TAXSLAYER.com GATOR BOWL - Florida vs. Ohio State
They should call this the WTF bowl or the Underachievers Bowl or the Overrecruited Bowl. I am taking Ohio State.

OUTBACK BOWL - No. 16 Georgia vs. No. 17 Michigan State
If the UGA receivers could catch the ball, the SEC Championship would be more interesting. They held LSU w/o a first down for the entire first half.

CAPITAL ONE BOWL - No. 9 South Carolina vs. No. 20 Nebraska
South Carolina

ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO - No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 10 Wisconsin
Oregon will be too fast, but the loss of Cliff Harris will hurt

TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL - No. 3 Oklahoma State vs. No. 4 Stanford
Oklahoma State is just the better team

ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL - No. 11 Virginia Tech vs. No. 13 Michigan
Another fun to watch game, I am taking Michigan and Denard Robinson

DISCOVER ORANGE BOWL - No. 15 Clemson vs. No. 23 West Virginia
Geno Hayes and Tahj Boyd make this one not to miss, both will be playing on Sundays some day

AT&T COTTON BOWL - No. 6 Arkansas vs. No. 8 Kansas State
Arkansas in a great, fun to watch game

BBVA COMPASS BOWL - Pittsburgh vs. Southern Methodist
Pitt

GODADDY.com BOWL - Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas State
Arkansas State, big.

ALLSTATE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP - No. 1 LSU vs. No. 2 Alabama
The karma police will make Alabama win, just so their original game would have been meaningless. Harris Poll and USA Coaches, you suck. Oklahoma State should be playing in this game and you know it.

Bowl Games....

2011-12-05T08:22:00.000-08:00

The college football bowl season is my favorite time of the year.

Comments:
* Oklahoma State should have been in the title game. Alabama had their chance, AT HOME. Oklahoma State is the more compelling matchup, at least to me. The great thing about college football is that every game means something. With this game, the previous one meant nothing. In fact, all you did is force LSU to play another game against a top 15 opponent.

* Oklahoma State and Stanford will be fun to watch.

Thanksgiving....

2011-11-27T12:19:00.000-08:00

Last Thanksgiving I decided to stay clean, very clean. I gained exactly 1 pound, and I think most of it was water weight. This year, I did exactly the opposite. I am using this to start a mass gain protocol. Here are some of the things that I have eaten.

* Four slices of cheesecake
* 3 slices of apple pie
* 2 huge pieces of lasagna
* A whole container of chocolate covered cashews
* A shit ton of cheeses. I sampled the stinkiest cheese I have ever had at Suburban Square (Philadelphia) Farmer's Market
* 2 slices of pizza
* 1/2 pint of ice cream
* Tandoori Pizza Mac&Cheese
* About 8 bagels over the course of the weekend

Not in the least Paleo.

My strategy is to weigh myself on Friday and eat and train normally until them.

It will be interesting.

Training:

The only bells that I had access to were my sister's 25 and 10lbers. Here are some of the exercises that I did.

Bottom Up Presses: 25lb
Stacked Presses 25lb
Sots Presses: 25lb and 35lb
stacked TGU in sets of 5
Goblet Squats in sets of 20
:45 on/:15 off snatches with the 25lb bell (boring as heck)
Nephew flips
Threw football

Bar Food Diet....

2011-11-11T20:57:00.000-08:00

If you are unhealthy, and you feel that you spend too much money on health food at Whole Foods, Village Health, Rollin' Oats - you should try my Bar Food diet. You will:
* Be healthier
* Lose weight
* Feel more satisfied
* Save money.

Here is the diet, I was going to sell it as an e-book, but there is no way I can make it long enough for a book.

If you eat the following foods:
* Whole Grain Pasta
* Box Cereal
* Organic Cookies, Chips, or Crackers
* Bread of any type
* Mac and Cheese
* Subway, McDonald's, Burger King, etc.

Eat the following instead, either:
* Chicken Wings, or
* Hummus and Veggies

Once a week, go to a bar, and eat whatever you want, except:
* Anything with cheese, pasta, or bread

That's it. It works and is very satisfied.

Detox Program Testimonial....

2011-11-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

"...Saturday will be my 4 weeks. I have done very well and have lost 10 lbs....

...BTW, I went to the Dr. Wed. and my labs tests are better than ever - LDL down, HDL up, A1C down, etc. Dr. says whatever I'm doing keep it up. I owe you again for putting me on the right track.

Also interesting to note is my total cholesterol went down 24 points and triglycerides down 5 points. I was worried it would make my protien levels too high but actually went down from 6.7 to 6.0. All the lab levels in the normal range for the first time in years. I'm sold."

This is the most effective and sensible program of it's type. I would do this program with my five year old nephew. I would do it with my 69 year old mother.

Contact me (faizalenu@yahoo.com/813-851-7470) to learn more.

Section II Sectional Predictions for Thu 10-27-2011

2011-10-27T09:14:00.001-07:00

Shaker vs Schenectady: Shaker 5-1
==> The gap between the Suburban and Big 10 (which, just like the college football version, does not have 10 teams) is shrinking, but is still wide.

Glens Falls vs Lansingburgh: GF 3-1
==> I see Lansingburgh as a tough out. I didn't play in the game, but Lansingburgh was my first sectional opponent. We won 2-1 in a closely contested contest in the rain.

Fonda vs *Coxsackie-Athens: C-A 5-2
==> I see it being close early, but C-A pulling away. C-A, you had a great season, but don't sleep on this one. C-A came out of the top of a very crowded middle of the Patroon Conference.

Doane Stuart vs Stillwater: Stillwater 4-2
==> There is no way that Doane Stuart/Rensselear should be the 3 seed. They don't play a B school in their conference, and they play about 50% D schools. I do think Doane Stuart has the best player on the field, Noah Rhynhart. That can always make it interesting.

Cohoes vs *Greenville: Cohoes 4-3
==> I am picking Cohoes because they have the best player on the pitch, Brandon LaForest. I have a feeling this game is going to be ugly. Usually sectional games are crisp, but the weather in the Capital District, especially Greene county, has been brutal on fields this year. Both teams play in a lot of 5-2/6-3 type games. Usually when you see a scoreline like that, the game is shit. In my junior year, we beat Chatham in a driving rain storm and the score was 7-5. I was embarrassed to win a game giving up that many goals. There were sloppy goals on both side. It was fun to play in for the field players if the field holds up. And you don't get hot. I love Upstate NY in the fall. Here you get hot walking out to get your mail.

Fort Plain vs Lake George: LG 3-1
==> Don't know much about either team, so going by seed.

Hoosic Valley vs Mekeel Christian Academy (formerly Schenectady Christian): MCA 3-2
==> Probably the best game on the slate, and the hardest to pick. MCA has the best players on the pitch, the Aderounmu brothers.

*Cairo-Durham vs Schuylerville: C-D 2-0
==> The Patroon Conference was interesting this year. There was Maple Hill, and really everyone else. There was very little difference between the bottom (Taconic Hills) and the top of the rest (Coxsackie-Athens). C-D finished in the lower middle, but they can play with anyone or lose to anyone. Here the best goalie (C-D's Cody Rogers) wins.

Hartford vs New Lebanon: Hartford 2-1
==> The Adirondack league is much stronger than the CHVL. Adirondack has three state ranked teams (Fort Ann and Bolton in D, Lake George in C). Just a down year in the CHVL.

* Catskill vs. Tamarac: Tamarac 2-1
==> Interesting game. Tamarac has put the only blemish on Ichabod Crane's record (a 1-1 tie where they were outshot 17-3). Catskill is part of that Patroon Conference "middle" that I talked about earlier. Cam Overbaugh (love those goalies) keeps it close, but I give the edge to Tamarac.

Note* - It is funny how:
1) All four (Catskill, C-A, C-D, Greenville) of the Greene County patroon teams all play today. What is great, unlike in yesterday's game, is that they get to play the other conferences (2 against the Colonial, 2 against the Wasaren). Let's see how good the Patroon Conference is. A lot of non-league games were cancelled because of Tropical storms earlier in the year, so today is a good litmus test.

Open Letter to the Respective Athletic Directors at Taconic Hills and Hudson High Schools...

2011-10-24T09:53:00.001-07:00

To whom it may concern:

I am writing on behalf of both the Hudson High and Taconic Hills soccer teams. As you both know, this time of year is Sectionals. When I look back on my High School years, these are some of the times that I remember the best. I can remember the crispness of the air, the bus ride to the game, the opportunity to play the bigger schools up north, the sense finality to the season. IT IS AN EXPERIENCE EVERY HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER PLAYER SHOULD EXPERIENCE.

Below is my case for why both Taconic Hills and Hudson High School Soccer teams should go to sectionals, even though both teams records are not stellar (Hudson: 2-11; TH: 1-11-1):

* Both teams have played the rest of the conference tough. Hudson lost to state-ranked Maple Hill 1-0 and had them scoreless for 45 minutes. TH has lost 3 one-goal games. Hudson has lost 5.

* Both teams have players that could play at the college level (Hudson: R. Dorce, Z. Sohotra, Z. Bartolotta; TH: A. Mierzejewski, I. Rasweiler). Given the relative southern location of both school, there isn't as much exposure to college recruiting. That typically happens at sections. I know that I talked to college coaches after sectional losses in '86 (2-0 to Gloversville) and '87 (2-0 to Queensbury) even though those coaches were looking at other players. Those schools were 40% bigger than ours, but we got to compete. Give these guys the opportunity to be seen and compete.

* Both teams are tough outs. They have a puncher's chance for the upset.

* Hudson has played 14 games this year. TH has played 15. That is an embarrassingly light schedule for a high school team to play. My senior year we only played 15 games, after playing 19 the year before. Give these young men at least one more opportunity to show what they can do. I know that I wish we had more games my senior year.

* Don't give me any BS about school policy and stuff like that. I am not interested.

* What makes sports great is that they give you the opportunity to see who you really are. Give these hard-working young men the chance to see how they compare against the better players and teams from outside the Patroon conference. Let's show them how good and deep the Patroon conference, from top to bottom, really is.

* There is something about sectionals that brings out the energy of the Seniors that are playing, especially if they haven't played in sectionals before. In my Junior Year, I remember the effort that Mike Layman, Gregg Shutts, Roger Ringer, James Hatch, Lee VanDeCarr, and Mike Bruno gave on that day. That was 19 years of varsity experience on that day, and I remember those 6 gentlemen left it out on the field that day. We didn't win, but I am sure they did not want to see us again.

Many of the seniors on these team played on teams that were very bad a couple of years ago, and suffered some humiliating losses. Their teams now are competitive. Reward them for their efforts, and more importantly, their persistence and school service when it would have been much easier for them to quit.

Yours truly,
Faizal S. Enu, RKC (Hudson High Varsity Soccer Player '84-'87)

faizalenu@yahoo.com
813-951-7470

Chronological Timeline - Monster Burger Challenge...

2011-10-12T21:35:00.000-07:00

I and three of my friends decided to take on the Monster Burger Challenge at Green Iguana. Below is a chronological timeline of the events leading up to it, the actually challenge, and the aftermath.

++++++++++++++++++ Prelude +++++++++++++++

7:30 AM: Woke up. The first thing I thought about was the Monster Burger Challenge. According to my old soccer coach, Robert Rowley, this is a good. I am ready.

9:30 AM: Worked out with my Kettlebell Boot Campers at Xtreme Athletix. The workout:

* MP: 5 x 5
* Dragon Walks: 3 x 8
* Double Snatches on the minute for 20 minutes: 130 total.

Workout felt pretty strong.

11:30 AM to 3:00 PM: Cleaned my place. Still did not eat anything.

3:30 PM: Got to my girlfriend's place. Pretty worried that I am not hungry AT ALL. Oh shit.

3:45 PM: Weigh in - 162.4 lb. I am by at least 30lbs the smallest person doing this challenge.

4:20 PM: Arrive at the venue. Two other challengers are already there.

4:45 PM: We have our own separate area. The four people that are competing are facing the rest of the bar.

4:50 PM: Orders are in. I order mine "Well Done." My fellow competitors order theirs "Medium." This will become important later on.

4:58 PM: Burgers are out. This thing looks humongous. From the picture, you can see it is the size, vertically, of my forearm. The buns are ridiculous. I am not worried. This is a rock star moment. Everyone is taking pictures of the burgers, even people we don't know. When a Monster Burger comes out, everyone notices. You will notice there are two dowel sticks in it - that keeps them from tipping over. This is three 3/4 pound burgers with humongous buns. The three flavors are Mean Green Florentine, Smokiest (BBQ Sauce, Onions, and Blue Cheese), a the Cheesiest (4 cheeses). I never really liked cheese, now I hate it. As you can see, not exactly designed for quick eating. Oh, there there is this wee little thing about a whole pound of wedge cut fries.

Here is what the burger looks like.

When I saw this picture, I was thinking that I got really skinny. But in reality the burger is just that big.

+++++++++ Show Time ++++++++++++

5:02 PM: Eating commences. I make a tactical decision to eat the burgers as they are instead of separating them. I start with the Mean Green Florentine Burger.

5:08 PM: Mean Green Florentine is done. Start with the Cheesiest. I am thinking this is going to be a piece of cake.

5:14 PM: About half way through the second burger. My sensation of taste is non-existant. I start dousing the food in hot sauce. Any bread that I am eating is filling up my stomach....fast. I start just eating the meat and screw my initial plan to "preserve the integrity of the food."

5:16 PM: The cheese feels like I am chewing on Rosie O'Donnell's ass. There are 4 slices on it, which is more cheese than I eat in a year.

5:18 PM: Second burger is done. Holy shit there is a lot of bread left. I swear that it is expanding. I start trying to nibble on the fries. This is really the first time that I think to myself "This is going to suck!". I douse the fries in hot sause.

5:20 PM: I am eating, but nothing is happening. It looks like there is more food on my plate. I swear Peter is throwing fries on my plate.

5:24 PM: The bread is getting to the point of ridiculousness. It is so big, airy, dry, and tasteless. Not so much that it lacks taste, but I am lacking the ability to taste it. Green Iguana's burgers are awesome. I got back to the burger that is left.

5:32 PM: Jimmy Brown finishes. Holy shit. That is goddamn insane.

5:36 PM: I hear one of the competitors puke in their bowl. Peter says to me "Don't look over there." I almost lose it.

5:38 PM: This is really starting to not be fun. My right hand is starting to cramp up in between bites. My body is rejecting my attempt at gluttony.

EVERY....BITE.....HURTS. Each swallow is a max effort attempt with its own breathing pattern and thought process.

5:44 PM: Peter Baker finishes. Unreal. All eyes are on me.

5:47 PM: I am finished with the last burger, the smoky blue cheese. The raw onions were really strong and hard to chew. I have 19 minutes left. I have a 1 and 1/4 buns, about 3/4lb of fries, and some neutral cheese to finish. The cheese at this point is like chewing on plastic. It sounds easy, except:
* Breathing is very labored because my diaphragm has no room to move.

* I am scared shitless to burp because I might throw up. I am talking Carrie-style projectile vomiting with people a couple of feet from me. I tell Jennifer and Brian that they don't want to block my way to the bathroom. This is where the first seeds of doubt start to creep in.

5:49 PM: Now BOTH hands are cramping up. My stomach is so full that breathing is labored. My diaphram can't move and I am showing "elements of effort." My girlfriend is worried, but still cheering me on.

5:52 PM: I am trying to swallow bigger bites of food, and I am gagging them back up. Now I am really hurting and the possibility of not finishing, after hyping it up, is really starting to set in. There are only 10 minutes left.

5:56 PM: Jimmy taunts me by stealing a fry off my girlfriend's plate and asks if I want his help. I give him the finger. I am worried, but the game face is still on.

5:58 PM: The waitress tries to come and say that the hour is up. I say bullshit and point to the official time. My plate still has a single layer of bread and fries. I am starting to think, this is crunch time. Do or Die. Four minutes left

This is not a workout. If it was, I would have quit. If I finish 99%, it is like I didn't finish at all. No T-shirt. No name on the wall. But I am past the proverbial "Point of No Return". It is going to suck whether I finish or not. Everyone is cheering. Forget pain, taste, pleasure. I talked it up too much, and THERE IS NO FAILURE!

5:58.15 PM: I realize that small bites go down much easier. I have a two handed system going. Now when I takes bites, I am starting to see more of the plate. Encouraged. I am just sprinting to the end. In my mind I am sprinting, I am sure to everyone watching me eat that I am moving real slow.

5:59 PM: The plate is simply is wet pile of bread and fries. It has absolutely no taste what so ever. I just put my head down and sprint. At this point, I have to make it. There is no other option.

6:01:45 PM: I am finished. I point to it in celebration. Here is the final sprint on video (pending). It was a furious dash, and I had only 15 seconds to spare.

++++++++ Aftermath +++++++++++

6:02:22 PM: I rush to the bathroom, and I am about ready to hurl. I threw up in my mouth, but gravity keeps it in. I make it to the bathroom, but did not hurl, but almost did. I am bent over, it hurts to stand up.

6:08 PM: I got my shirt and put it on. I earned this shirt. Some jackass says "Give me a break, it is not like Tough Mudder." I say "You're right, a higher percentage of people complete the Tough Mudder."

6:10 PM: I am hating life. I have the biggest gluten headache that you could possibly have. Have you ever eaten cheap chinese food. It feels like that, but except that you also fell on your head. I haven't eaten bread since.

6:15 PM: I tell my Xtreme Athletix, Bayshore Kettlebell, and USF Kettlebell Club brethren that I have never grinded through anything like this in my life. I would like to thank them again for their support and getting me water. Not even the RKC snatch test (the original, the current one is not a grind) or Grad Workout can compare. Grinding through the pain of a workout is one thing. Bypassing the bodies self-preservation reflexes are another. If I had to choose, I would go with the snatch test in a heart beat.

6:30 PM: Jennifer has a half-eaten turkey burger in front of her. I am like "Put that fucking thing away." The sight of food is nauseating. The sight of burgers, cheese, bread, or fries is even worse. Even the sight of PBR and Bud Light cans are making me sick.

8:00 PM: While walking down the street, I have my girlfriend feel my stomach. It feels pretrified. It is gross and somewhat scary. We pass a convenience store, and I am beginning to consider Epicac.

9:00 PM: I am feeling miserable and force myself to throw up. My neck actually recoils from the force of the projectile vomit and I give myself a poor man's chiropractic adjustment.

10:22 PM: I am thinking that I want to go out, but it is miserable outside. I am miserable inside. All of a sudden, it hits me like a truck, and I am exhausted. It has been a long day.

12:00 AM: Lying down hurts. I sleep on my stomach.

2:00 AM: Finally fall asleep.

4:00 AM: Wake up again. Frack

Differences between :15/:15 and :36/:36

2011-10-07T06:41:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I am a big, big fan of MaxVO2 snatch work. Kenneth Jay came up with this program years ago, and it has given jack-rabbit hearts to those you have taken on the challenge.

There are many, many snatch protocols. Two of the more basic ones are the :15 work/:15 rest and :36 work/:36 rest. As you can see, they are very similar - really two sides of the same coin.

Here are the differences I see between the two:
* Obviously, :36/:36 is more advanced. But the difference is not as much as it seems. If you can do 80 sets with :15/:15 at 9 reps, feel free to try going to the :36/:36 at 21-22 reps. If you at seven reps/40 sets, do not even thing of trying :36/:36 at 17 reps. All you would be doing is practicing slow, sorry snatch technique. Move your cadence up.

* You :36/:36 workout takes less time. About 20-33% less to get the same amount of overload with the same weight and cadence. For me, 20kg x 24 min @ :36 is about the same as 20kg x 32min @ :15.

* You get practice with longer sets. For me, I do 20kg for 20 reps/:36. Longer sets groove snatch technique. For some reason, the RKC does not value this as much as it used to. You can pass the existing certification and never do more than 8 reps in a row. I think the longer sets expose snatch flaws (casting, winging, flopping, late hips, early hips, etc.) more than shorter sets. In fact, I have heard people say don't worry about lockout in :15/15. These people "swing" their snatches or hitch their knees.

* You lose track of time. In :15/:15, you know you are snatching on the :00 and :30. You don't really have a feel for this with :36/:36, except that the clock goes back to :00 after 5 work or rest cycles. This makes the workout go faster in your head.

Why Paul is Successful with His Weight Loss

2011-10-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

My new client Paul L. is killing it with kettlebells. He is down 15lbs in less than one month. Here are the reasons that he is successful:

1) Show Up: He shows up ready to work in every session! He is not late. He didn't just come from a pedicure and can't wear shoes. He doesn't call in and say he is sick, tired, or sore (even if he is sore).

2) Open-Minded: Even though he has experience with iron, he listens to everything I have to say. He doesn't have false pretenses of being elite (And by the way, you can't be elite on a treadmill or doing half squats). He doesn't complain about joint mobility exercises being awkward. Case in point, after 3 sessions, Paul could do a below-parallel squat. After a month he could hold a Happy Buddha pose for 30 seconds. After 2.5 weeks he could do an overhead PVC pass through after start with not being able to get the elbows past the ears. He didn't ask why we practiced these on a daily basis.

3) Diet: He is making changes to what happens in the other 165 hours of the week. He ASKS if he has any homework. He keeps a food log. One of the first things I learned in fitness is that if:
- Someone is overweight and
- They are not keeping a food log
==> They will be completely delusional about their food intake. Here is a typical conversation with one of these people.

Faizal: Hey, how is the diet going. I know you talked about it on Facebook.
Person: Not bad, not really losing weight though.
Faizal: Oh, maybe I can help you. Do you have a food log.
Person: No, but I know my diet is perfect (whatever the frack that means). I know everything about nutrition. I don't know why I am not losing weight. I must being gaining muscle.

Here are the fallacies in this conversation:
a) What is a perfect diet. Even if one existed, there is no way that you know what it is.

b) You can't know everything about nutrition. Not even the nutrition people know everything about nutrition. In fact, look at how much nutrition has changed in the last 20 years.
1991 - Low fat (remember "high volume, low fat" eating? Bonus points if you can recognize the pitch man for this crap)/Eat every three hours/Exercise in the oxidative zone, etc.
2001 - Low carb/Atkins/Zone/Interval Training
2011 - Paleo/Organic/Warrior Diet/ESE/Functional Fitness/etc.

This is not just "learning new stuff and getting better". This is "that stuff we told you earlier, we had our heads up our collective asses when we told you that. But now we know that you should do this, trust us this time." Also, if you do the same thing with fitness programs and certifications, I will think you are full of shit too.

c) If you diet is not working for you, it sucks! Period. You can only eat for yourself, not the general population. Any diet program that doesn't not allow for individual differences is garbage. If you want to learn about a diet program that caters to you as an individual and more importantly works quickly, contact me.

d) Diet is more about execution than selecting the right diet. I know sooooooo many people that pontificate about what is good and bad to eat ("Faizal, you are eating bread?"), but they don't even follow their own advice. I would rather have you follow an imperfect diet, log it, then make adjustments than imperfectly follow a perfect diet. In fact, I would say that logging and tweaking your diet is the only way to find out what works for you.

4) Triangle of Truth: He is focusing on how he LOOKS, how he FEELS, and how he PERFORMS. There is no compromise on any of them. All three should be improving for general, sustainable fitness. For underwear models and athletes, you may trade off one for the other two, but for the general population, absolutely not. Not to get off topic, let me clarify the term athlete. And "athlete" is someone that plays a sport. Doing bicep curls in the squat rack is not a sport. Doing Crossfit's workout of the day, while maybe hard, is not a sport. Running on a treadmill, stair stepper or an elliptical is not even running, much less a sport. What makes it a sport? Winners and losers. Poker is a sport. Golf is a sport. Bowling is a sport. 10,000 swing challenge is not a sport. Fran is not a sport.

5) Gear: He has the correct workout gear. This includes appropriate footwear, water (not Crystal Light, Vitamin Water, Gatorade, Diet Coke, etc.), towel, notebook/pen, hand care, etc.

These shoes don't suck

6) Educating vs. Annihilating: He actually LEARNS from his sessions. When Paul trains with me, he is not looking for someone to motivate him. That kind of motivation is short-term. He motivates himself. He is looking for someone to educate him. Don't get me wrong, experiencing a lung-blowing workout or a heavy weight is part of "eductation." Clients should pay for just ass-kickings or being put through a tough workout, they should pay for knowledge. If you don't feel you need a notebook in a trainer session, you are wasting your time with that trainer.

7) Relevance: He doesn't ask questions that don't matter AND he doesn't feel like everything has to be explained to him before he takes action. No inane stuff like "Shouldn't we be doing sets of 15 for fat loss?" or "What muscle does this isolate?"

8) Priorities: Paul has never told me about a TV show he watched, a bar that he went to, a porn that he watched, a website that he wasted hours on. Focus!

9) No complaining: If I give him an exercise that is hard or that he doesn't do well, he doesn't complain. He never says a session is too hard, or that he didn't sweat enough, or that he doesn't like an exercise. Also, complaining increases cortisol and decreases T-levels, both of which are bad for fat loss.

10) Entitlement: Paul understands that he has to continue to work for everything. Some of the pounds will be easier than others, but he is not entitled to anything. Time does not entitle you to it. Paying doesn't entitle you to it. Previous success doesn't entitle you to it. Touching a kettlebell doesn't entitle you to it. A well-respected RKC Team Leader once told me "Some of the RKCs have to lay off the pastries."

Why Counting Calories is Useless

2011-09-19T13:33:00.000-07:00

Why I don't count calories:

1) It is tedious as hell! It is like being a poor accountant.

2) Since I don't know exactly how many calories I am using up, why am I going to calculate exactly what I am taking in. This is the principle of "relative precision."

3) The food industry lies about everything else, so I don't believe the calorie information posted.

4) I don't know my basal metabolism, and even if I did it varies widely and as my body is changing.

5) If you look at any significant weight loss, there is no way that it is accounted for by "Calories Out - Calories In." Let's say someone lost 15 lbs in a month (very doable). That would mean they are creating a caloric deficity of about 1800 calories/day. I DON'T THINK SO, BROCHACHO.

6) The effect of food on hormones is the most important factor in diet, and you can't measure it in terms of calories.

7) Most methods of measuring calories or other ways to quantify food intake are inherently flawed. I won't go into it, except that it is not what you eat, it is what you absorb.

8) I don't want to carry a calculator with me.

9) There is not a way to accurately qualify the calorie burn (and afterburn) from exercise. Let's put it this way, I know someone who also does MaxVO2 snatches. We are about the same weight and age. He does 16kg for sets of 7. I do 20kg for sets of 8. Our heart rates are similar.

==> Based on heart rate, we are about the same.

==> Based on work, I should burn 43% more.

==> Where is the truth, as usual, somewhere in between.

10) I am not weighing everything I eat, sorry.

Doesn't fit in pocket

A better way would be to make relative changes in diet and exercise. Diet and exercise are all about staying ahead of change. Feel like you are putting on a couple pounds, take in a little less calories or burn a little more. Then see what happens. This way you are basing you plan on your body instead of inaccurate and arbitrary calculations.

Guest Blog Post on "Choices"

2011-09-17T12:26:00.000-07:00

Here is my Guest Blog post on the Xtreme Athletix website. As far as fitness goes, this is the MOST IMPORTANT POST I HAVE EVER WRITTEN.

Looking for a select group of people....

2011-08-31T14:01:00.000-07:00

I am looking for a group of 10 people that are seriously looking to get in shape:
* 25 - 75 lbs overweight
* Between the ages of 30 and 50
* Live in the Tampa Bay area.

If you fit the above criteria, e-mail me at faizalenu@yahoo.com to learn more about what I have to offer you....

MaxVO2 progressions, no cadence test....

2011-08-25T06:36:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, when doing MaxVO2 snatching and determining what weight and cadence (i.e., reps/15s) to use, I DON'T use the cadence test. The reasons are:
* Personally, I don't think there is a perfect correlation between the cadence test and oxygen metabolism. Part of it is just snatch proficiency.

* Progress is progress, if you are doing more work aren't you getting better. As you improve, you cadence will change. Since I only do MaxVO2 2x/week, if I tested monthly that is still 1/8 session. 12.5% of sessions spent on testing is excessive. I just focus on doing more.

* During training, do you ever REALLY know if you are operating at MaxVO2. And if you are operating at 90% or 110% of MaxVO2, are you really doing anything wrong.

So here is how I have been progressing.
* I started with 16kg/8 reps. I pretty much did this the first month. After achieving 80 sets, I then chose the next weight cadence by choosing the next combination by increase the (weight x cadence). Here are the weights and cadences that I have used/plan on using:
- 16 x 8 reps (128 kg)
- 16 x 9 reps (144 kg)
- 20 x 8 reps (160 kg)
- 24 x 7 reps (168 kg) <== This is where I am now, and easily get 20 minutes
- 20 x 9 reps (180 kg)
- 24 x 8 reps (192 kg)

* Even though you can, I haven't gone from one progression to the next until I have hit 40 minutes. Part of the reason for this is that at most I do this 2x/week, and it has always either been:
- Variety Day stuff, or
- Replace for swings during ETK (not recommended for beginners)

If you are doing 3 days a week, I do recommend doing a "supramax" session, where you work ABOVE your cadence. (e.g., if your cadence is 20kg x 8, do a shorter session with 20kg x 9 or 24kg x 7). I also believe that there is a diminishing returns with going past 40 minutes, since it just means that it is a pace of work that you can recover from completely. Work above your MaxVO2 will still improve your MaxVO2

* Even though I haven't done a lot of it, I still think the :36/:36 is valuable. As part of full disclosure, I generally use and analog clock when I train, so I train :30/:30 when I do this. My logic is: if :15/:15 is MaxVO2 snatching, and so is :36/:36, then why wouldn't :30/:30. And much easier to do with an analog clock and much easier to calculate cadence from :15/:15. A value of longer sets means that you can't get ugly like you can with sets of 7,8, or 9.

* I have found that the double snatches in RoTK improved my MaxVO2 snatches. Snatch heavy. In my case, this was 32kg/28kg and 2 32kg.

* For those that use heart rate monitors, you should find that you can either:
- do the same amount of work, at a lower heart rate
- do more work at the same heart rate
==> These are expected responses to improving MaxVO2. Don't confuse improving MaxVO2 with pegging your heart rate monitor. Focus on the work, not the heart rate.

Hope this helps. As long as you are doing more work at around the same exertion level, you are getting better. Don't get tied up in protocols, testing, and gadgets. Focus on doing work.

Post Mortem: 30-day Detoxification Program

2011-08-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

Objective: Perform a 30-day detoxification program that has been used by a number of people with success.

Successes:

* Weight went from 178.0 lb to 164.0 lb, for a net weight loss of 13.0 lbs. On my last weigh in, I was a little dry, and I believe a more accurate weight was 167.0 lb, my weight the following morning. It was still a net weight loss of 11.0 lb, even though weight loss was not the primary goal. By the way, this is less than I weighed when I graduated from high school. Also, my half bodyweight RKCII press is the 36kg/80lb bell, which I do for reps, easily.

* I was still able to lift heavy and often during the detox. This detox was not one where you just drank spicy water and took pills. This was a detox that encouraged clean eating of lean protein, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. What this detox did was avoid toxins (duh) and allergens. It was not a starvation diet. The workouts, primarily barbell and double kettlebell exercises, included:

- Long Cycle Clean and Jerk: 2 24kg x 5 x 5,10,15 and 2 32kg x 5 x 2,4,6
- TGU: 32-40kg x 12 minutes
- Max VO2: 20kg x 25-40 minutes or :15/:15 and 25+ minutes of :30/:30
- Good Mornings: Up to 355lb + maxing out the Leg Press
- Box Squats: 225 - 315lb (unfortunately, the gym that I go to doesn't have any low boxes, so these were slightly above parallel) + Dimel deadlifts with 185-245lb
- Double KB military presses, up to 2 32kg bells, snatch start.
==> These are athletic workouts. No curling in the squat rack here.
==> These are short workouts: 10 - 35 minutes for the most part.
==> There was absolutely no compromising of training intensity/volume on this detox. In fact, I set a number of PRs.

* I did not have any diet soda or any artificial sweeteners for thirty-six days. I have to say that I was extremely surprised at the affects that it had on food cravings and also encouraged me to drink more water. Also, this saved me probably $3-5/day. While that doesn't seem like a big deal, if you take the money from that, about $30/week, you can definitely upgrade your choices of meats and seafood. It also force me to drink a lot more water, which I believe paradoxically caused me to retain less water.

* The protein powder that I used for meals where I could not cook did not have any artificial sweeteners or flavors. While I am not huge on protein shakes (about 1/day), there are times when either:
- I really want something quick in the morning and don't have time to cook/clean and/or
- Post workout, I really don't want to eat harder-to-digest animal protein.

The protein that I was taking felt more like eating real food than most protein powders. Normally, if I have a protein shake, I am hungry 90 to 120 minutes later. This was very filling. Also, it is definitely not something you will find at Wal-Mart, but it is less expensive the that boutique protein powders you find in the health food stores.

* I was starting to feel veins where I haven't in a very long time, including in the front of my shins and in my hip flexors. There were definitely body composition changes. I will say, however, that not all of the weight loss was probably not fat, and I am OK with that. A lot was probably removing water retention associated with a toxic environment. Also, the internal cleansing contributed to the pounds as well. While that may not sound like a big deal, removing that waste help your digestive system function better, allowing you to absorb more of what you eat and helping you eat less, while still getting the nutrition (the "good stuff" is also the hardest to digest).

* I found that my alertness skyrocketed. I got a lot more projects done because I was able to focus better. I am not sure if that was the diet itself, or the fact that I slept much better. If you are dragging ass in the morning and "tired by wired" at night, chances are your cortisol is out of whack, and you may need a detox. If you are throwing coffee, Red Bull, or other nervous system stimulants at a sleep or recovery problem, you are just applying a band aid, except this one will make you psychotic. It is amazing how many people, even personal trainers, brag about how many Red Bulls they drink.

I noticed that I had a lot less lingering pain in my shoulders. I am not sure if this was just part of the recovery process, or if the detox has anything to do with it. I work at a residential fitness center, Core Fitness Solution, and there is a lot of anecdotal evidence there or people having reduced joint pain even though they did not get direct medical therapy. Hmmmmm......

Things I wish I did better:*

I normally don't plan my grocery shopping trips. I am pretty minimalist in what I shop for, I don't keep much in inventory, and I can shop every other day with my schedule. I usually just go and get what I need. I did find, that since detox was not on my mind 100% of the time, that a lot of times I bought stuff out of habit. I remember one day getting a can of diet soda, then thinking "Why the frack did I buy that?" I really didn't plan weekly menus and shopping lists, but in retrospect I really should have.

* I wish I did a better job of logging my meals. I know I wasn't perfect with the detox, but I was pretty good. I wish I logged my meals better not so much to improve my choices, but to see what affect those choices had on me. This is going to be especially important that I am "adding stuff back in."

What did I learn:

* Beer has a more negative effect on my than I original thought. I really like beer, and I am not going to give it up completely, but it does affect me, especially in terms of retaining water.

* Breads are a real no-no. I don't think I am allergic or gluten intolerant, but I do noticed that if I eat bread, it stokes my hunger. Given that there are no nutrients in bread than cannot be found in other sources, there is no reason to have to rely on them. I do think bread is tasty, if you see me eating a chicken parm sandwich, it is because it is tasty, not because I think it is healthy.

* Significant healthy weight loss can be achieved quickly while maintaining workout volume. This is just another tool in the tool box.

* In a way, the only way that matters to your bank account, detox-style eating is cheaper than the SAD (Standard American Diet). Even though you may spend more on individual items, eating toxic foods costs more because:

- You get nickel-and-dimed by eating snacks. You spend only a little bit of money, but they add nothing to nutrition. You still have to eat more to get nutrients. Lead with healthy food, and you save in the long run. All of the major fast food companies and large commercial food producers are 5-and-diming you out of your health.

- Things like sodas are much more expensive than water. Sure, things like an organic soda might cost more than a Big Gulp, but you have an alternative that is free -- water. Also, you are most likely craving diet soda (or Crystal Lite or Gatorade), because it is wet, not because it quenches your thrist. Also, do you know what the process is that breaks down fat? HYDROlysis. Get the picture?

- You don't go out to eat as much. When you go out to eat, only 67-82% of what you pay for is food cost. The rest goes to make it, serve it, and to cover corporate overhead. Use that savings to buy better stuff to cook. Even if it costed 2x as much (it doesn't), you are still better off.

* If you spend an hour in a grocery store, I will almost bet you are not eating healthy. When you are detoxing, shopping is really easy. About 70% of the grocery store is off limits. I go to the health food store, and most people are not healthy or fit. Just because your cookies are organic does make them healthy. Most of the companies that specialize in "health food" aren't in the business of making you healthy. They don't make money if you lose weight. The do make money when you buy their crap. They are in the business of JUSTIFYING UNHEALTHY CHOICES.

* Don't think of foods as being "good" or "bad". It is not that black and white. Are strawberries good for you? "Yes". Can you eat a flat a day? NO! Are they good to have before your workout? NO. This is another way that overweight people justify choices that are making them fat. "How many points is it....?"

I think people who think of foods as either "good" or "bad" were not very creative and/or punished too much as children.

* If you have a fitness goal, write the goal down, BUT DON'T TELL ANYONE unless you are paying them. This is because:

- No one cares. And if someone does care, they probably think you are a righteous asshat or they want to bring you down to their level.

- If you are committed, there is really no need to tell anyone. I know there is a lot of talk about "accountability partners", but I think they are a copout. At the end of the day, there is only two person who cares, and that is you and someone who benefits from your success. My dad has a saying, "When you are in trouble, you are a alone." If you don't believe me, ask the most hated jocksniffer in Florida, Nevin Shapiro. He had a lot of friends when he was buying Miami Hurricane football players hookers and cars. But now that he is in jail, they are shunning him big time. I would like to think that if someone did that for me when I was in college, I would have their back.

I am not really big into the shows like the Biggest Loser and other programs that preach hyper-fast weight loss. I meet a lot of people who can't see their toes tell me how fast they have lost weight before. If it is not sustainable it is not right to do, EVER. At the end of the day, it has to be THE RIGHT THING TO DO. This detox was based on eating clean foods, avoiding toxins/allergens, fixing the body from the inside, and effective exercise. The benefits were improved body composition, performance, and sleep quality, and I even saved some dinero. How can that be counterproductive long term?

If the reason you are training is to look, feel, and perform better, and you are not getting the results as fast as you want them, a detox-program may be for you. Based on what I have experienced, even highly fit people can benefit. Contact me at 813-951-7470/faizalenu@yahoo.com to learn more.

____________________________

Detox Results -- Day 23....only one week left.

2011-08-10T07:36:00.001-07:00

Here are the results as of Day 23 of my detox:

* At day 20, weight was down 10.5 lbs (167.5lb). I am not trying to lose weight. Weight loss has slowed down as expected. Definitely looking a lot leaner, especially in the upper body. I can also see the pes anserousI do feel like I am eating a lot. I probably weigh a little more since Saturday's weigh in, but I expect to be at 166 lbs in one week.

* Cravings are virtually non-existent. Just never feel hungry, except maybe post workout.

* Have not had a Diet Soda in 23 days, and I used to drink as many as 4-8 per day. I don't even crave it (no one even has withdrawal from aspartame). That right there is big monetary savings. Also, it is acidic (about 1/10th as much as acid rain), and the body runs best in a slightly alkaline environment. Another thing about diet soda, since it is carbonated it affects the Oxygen/Carbon Dioxide balance in your body.

* My energy is way up, but not in a strung out, coke-head kind of way. More like a quiet focus.

* I haven't had any processed meats of any kind. Any meat that I did have, I made, with the exception of going to Tun-Du-Ree for curry. Big savings. Also, I have used what I saved on diet sodas to get better cuts of meat.

* The detox that I am doing supports heavy lifting. I have maintained my schedule schedule of:
- Double kettlebell lifting (snatches, clean and jerks, presses, squats, etc.),
- Barbell lifting (good mornings, box squats, Dimel deadlifts, olympic cleans, olympic snatches)
- Turkish Get Ups (32kg & 40kg)
- Max VO2 snatches (20kg x 8 x 25-40 minutes)
==> If the detox does not support heavy lifting, high tension exercises, or high power output, you know it can be doing good for the body.

* Sleeping great. I am tired when I am supposed to be tired and awake when I am supposed to be awake. When I am asleep, I stay asleep.

* I feel light on my feet. During one of the boot camp classes, I set a volume and intensity records for double under rope skipping. I am still not great at it, but definitely improving.

* Have I been perfect on this detox. No, because I don't think "I'm on a detox and I have to avoid this, this, and this." I am eating real food. I am doing very good. Definitely better than doing 80% to get 95% of the results. This detox much easier to stick to than most diets. Now that being said, if you are not serious, you won't stick to it, but that is on you.

* I do supplement with protein, fiber, and Omega-3s, but I always have supplemented with them.

* I am really excited about the results. A 12lb weight loss (projected) in one month while setting PRs is extraordinary and definitely beyond my expectations. I would recommend this program to anyone for the following reasons:
- The logic behind it makes sense.
- It is based on real foods.
- It supports strenuous exercise.
- It fits into working lifestyles.
- If, and this is a big one, effective addresses the reasons that people don't stick to most programs.

==> Let me address this last point real quick. A lot of programs work, but they are so impossible to follow that no one actually finishes them. A lot of programs that are on TV talk about results, but how many people DO YOU KNOW have actually made it all the way through. Typically the number is zero, one, or two. Or people go, "I did this program, and it was great." My next response is usually something like "What happened?" The typical answer is like "I couldn't afford to continue." or "I got hurt!" or "I couldn't stick with it." If it is not sustainable, what is the point of doing it. If feel like I could continue this program for a long time, there is no reason not to.

Again, the results of this are exceptional, and it is a very robust program that is applicable in any lifestyle.

As always, if you have any questions, contact me (faizalenu@yahoo.com) directly.

Detoxification -- Results so far....

2011-07-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a detoxification since the 17th, and the results are simply AMAZING. Here are some findings as of now:

* Lost 7 lbs in 8 days. I am not trying to lose weight. Most of my clothes are already too big. I can't keep up with getting stuff altered. I am not feeling any of the effects of depletion or undereating. The detoxification still supports heavy training.

* Cravings are virtually non-existent. Just never feel hungry, except maybe post workout.

* Have not had a Diet Soda in 11 days. I can't believe that. I used to drink many per day. That right there is big savings. I think this also prevents cravings and maintains blood sugar levels. Also, it can't be good to put that stuff in your body. Also, it is acidic (about 1/10th as much as acid rain). Your body runs best in a slightly alkaline environment.

* My energy is way up, but not in a strung out, coke-head kind of way. More like a quiet focus.

* I haven't had any processed meats of any kind. Any meat that I did have, I made, with the exception of going to Tun-Du-Ree for curry. Big savings. Also, I have used what I saved on diet sodas to get better cuts of meat.

* Maintained schedule of double kettlebell lifting, teaching, and boot camp classes. If a detox suggests not training, I am not doing it. It might as well suggest not breathing. This is a based of real food and supports heavy lifting.

* Sleeping great. I am tired when I am supposed to be tired and awake when I am supposed to be awake. When I am asleep, I stay asleep.

* I feel light on my feet. During one of the boot camp classes, I set a volume and intensity records for double under rope skipping. I am still not great at it, but definitely improving.

* I have avoided getting stuff to eat at gas stations (Hess, 7-11, and Sunoco are my favorites). I am definite getting meats from better sources. A lot of time I go in, not because I am hungry, but because I am bored. I don't want to just fill up and drive away. When I am inside is when I decide to buy something. Cravings and social eating are easier to manage on this detox.

* I do supplement with protein, fiber, and Omega-3s. A lot of time, I have felt hungry about an hour later (think Chinese take out). Not this time. In fact, I have to will myself to eat pre-workout.

I'll update when I hit the three-week mark. As a right now, the results are incredible, and I am learning about my body and the effects food have on it. If you are hitting a plateau and you are training hard and eating fairly healthy, you should try a detox.

As always, if you have any questions, contact me (faizalenu@yahoo.com) directly.

The kettlebell swing is a MOVEMENT, not a LIFT...

2011-07-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

Before anyone gets any ideas from the blog post title, I am not AT ALL hating on the kettlebell swings. I have probably done over 125,000 of them, and still do about 600 per week. I just wanted to make a distinction between the kettlebell swing and other exercises.

If you look at the kettlebell military press or front squat, there is a definite minimum starting and ending point. Whether you are lifting 16kg or 64kg, these points are the same. The same cannot be said for the swing. In the swing, the completion of the swing is simply to extend the hips and knees. The bell goes as high as it goes, you don't lift it. I may go up to shoulder level, it may only go to waist level, who cares! The swing is a back-to-front 'projection' of force. The bell goes up, not because we are "lifting" it, but because it is connected to our torsos through our arms. For this reason, treat the swing as a MOVEMENT, and not a LIFT.

What are we training in the swing. Primarily, we are training the hips and glutes, and to a lesser extent the quads. Other muscle are activated to stabilize in the lift, like the abs, obliques, rhomboids, lats, and rotator cuff. If we are primarily training the legs, why would anyone care how high the arms lift the bell? Why would anyone make that the criteria for the swing?

So, you might ask, what is the purpose of the kettlebell in the kettlebell swings. Simply, it gives us an object to exert force against, kind of like the purpose of the floor in a pushup. Pushing against air is not going to generate any tension.

In a military press, if you press a 32kg vs. a 24kg, are you using 33% more force/tension? I would argue that you are indeed. Can the same thing be said about the swing? No. Because the kettlebell swing does not have a fixed end point. If I swing one 24kg bell, the bell will go up to about shoulder height. If I swing two of them, they simply don't go as high. I am exerted similar forces, but with heavier swings the object that I am exerting the force has twice as much mass, so it won't be accelerated as much. I am most certainly not doubling power production or calories burned.

On day I was working with a petite female, and had her swing a 16kg (35lb) bell instead of the 24kg (53lb) bell she said she normally used. She actually said that the 16kg was harder. Here is why that would be:

* In a heavier swing, she is limited by grip strength. Grip strength is not a bad thing to train, but there are a lot of other ways to train it. She may even hold back on the swings (i.e., less force) to take pressure off of the grip.

* She is also limited by her ability to counterbalance or "anchor" the bell. It is a significant percentage of her body weight. The harder she swings the bell, the harder this become. This means is that she may subconsciously mute swings to keep her balance. Not what we are looking for, unless you are training for ego, pounds lifted, or impressing your Facebook friends.

* In this lighter swing, she is limited by her cardiovascular system and her glutes and hamstrings, and not the relative size of the bell or her grip stength. The lighter swings, at least in this case, give me more of the training effect I'm after since now she can really go ALL OUT.

I have done swings with a Beast in one hand and a Bulldog in the other. This is well over my body weight. My normal swing weight is 32kg (sorry, this bell doesn't have a cool name). Am I swinging with 2.75 times the force? Well, if I am truly doing Hardstyle swings, the answer is an obvious no, as I use full effort on all my swings. In my workshops, I demonstrate swings with and 8kg, 24kg, and a 48kg in succession and point out that the MOVEMENT should look the same and done with full intent. This is also the reason that swing MOVEMENT, no matter how heavy, all take about the same time, about 1.5s/swing. If you doubled the weight of a squat, the LIFT will definitely take longer. Pavel has registers forces over 500lbs swinging a 24kg bell. Would they be over a half ton if he swung a Beast? No.

In summary, the purpose of the kettlebell in the swing is to give you something to exert force against. Because it is an open movement and not a lift, added weight DOES NOT proportionately increase force generated, and in fact, may even decrease the force output. Are heavy swings bad? Not at all. In fact, they can be very helpful in dialing in the movement. Just keep in mind that the kettlebell swing is a movement and not a lift. Keep in mind that added weight in the swing doesn't mean the same as if you add weight to your military presses, squats, snatches, cleans and jerks -- these are lifts.

Heart Rate Monitors, what are they good for?

2011-07-08T07:59:00.000-07:00

I recently got a Polar FT7 heart rate monitor, after 25 years of training without, or flying blind as some would say. Guys like Marty Gallagher and John Schaeffer swear by them. I used mine for a while after first getting it. My opinion on them is that they are good for what they do, but I would hardly call them essential. Even when training clients, there are much better indicators of intensity than heart rate, including:
* Panic breathing,
* Degree of sweating,
* Rep speed,
* Facial expression and trapezius tension, and
* Technique degredation.

I like using the heart rate monitor as a "objective" proxy for exercise intensity. Generally speaking, the higher your heart rate is, the more intense the effort is. This for example, allows you to objectively compare the intensity of TGU vs. 20kg snatches vs. 40kg swings vs. DDR. I like it for this purpose.

What I really don't use it for is counting calories. It is not that I doubt the accuracy of it, to the limits that I understand it is an estimation, but that I really don't have any need for the information. I don't really plan diets by the calorie. If I look at what I put in my mouth, I don't know what the calories are exactly. I don't know what my basal metabolic rate is. Using what Cornell University taught me about significant digits, it would be pointless to calculate my exercise to the nearest calorie. I better way it is eat for you are going to do/what your body needs. I have never found calorie counting to work simply because they are just estimates anyway.

In common fitness parlance, they are talk about different exercise zones related to heart rate, including:

* the Fat Burning zone: 65-75% of Max Heart Rate
* the Cardiovascular Conditioning zone: 80-85% of Max Heart Rate.

I don't pay much mind to this for a number of reasons:
1) I would rather focus on doing the work instead of what my heart rate is. I can look at the heart rate after.

2) Since a relatively small number of fat calories (for most people) are burned during exercise and most are burned at rest, why would I micromanage fat burning during exercise.

3) Max Heart Rate is an estimate based on age, and while that is true for the general population, that is definitely not true for the:
* Trained or
* Sick/Deconditioned
==> Well, these are the two groups I work with the most. Since the Max Heart Rate is an individual thing, why wouldn't I treat it that way.

4) There are other better indicators of exercise intensity (see above) that are less intrusive and more illustrative.

I tried the HR monitor with a lot of different activities:
* MaxVO2 snatches: 20kg x 8 rep cadence for 30 minutes
==> Average HR: 161; Max HR: 179; Cals: 425 (14.20/minute)
* Sissy Test (325 Burpees and 325 32kg KB swings in 46:25)
==> Average HR: 170; Max HR: 184; Cals: 761 (16.45/minute), I still don't give two shits about burpees
* Lying Down -- Heart Rate: 55-58
* Sitting -- Heart Rate: 61-65
* Walking -- Heart Rate: 72-90
* KB Military Presses: Typically at the end of the workout my HR is in the 85-100 range.
* DDR: 110-150, but I hit 200 during a 5 minute boss song after doing swings.
* Continuous 24kg snatches/burpees combo: Average HR: ~ 160; Max Heart Rate: 179
* Barbell Squats: After: 110; Right Before: 77

What I have found is that the HR monitor is just a too to measure your heart rate. It does give you a gauge on intensity. It is too much of a hassle to use everyday, unless you have no clue how to gauge performance and other physiological factors. Try it out, you will learn something. But don't be a slave to it. The heart supports the performance of the rest of the body, it is not the goal. Keep it in that perspective.

Guest Blogger on FatBlasterWorkout.com

2011-06-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

Here are two guest posts on FatBlasterWorkout.com

1) The Plateau Mindset: The Underlying Cause of Plateaus
2) Viking Warrior Condition Max VO2 tips

Let me know what you think!

An epiphany about the RKC Snatch Test after a 5K run

2011-06-15T21:43:00.000-07:00

Today at Xtreme Athletix the workout of the day was something I did not expect. It was a simple one: Run a 5K

This was not something I was expecting, what made it worse was that:

1) It was hot as balls out, about 95F, and humid.

2) I was expecting a lifting workout. I wore my Converse All-Stars, and not running shoes. And no socks to boot.

3) Due to a miscalculation in laundry, I did not have any gym shorts. All I had were cargo shorts that hung lower than my knees.

Not exactly ideal conditions.

I finished 3 minutes before everyone in the class, even some runners. My coach asked me how long it has been since I ran that distance, and I said "1997". I have no idea if that is right, but I know I hate running.

About 3 hours later it got me thinking. Why did I do so well in a relative sense? I think that it was two reasons:

1) I am in shape, and

2) I know how to run. I actually scribed a running workshop about 1.5 months ago.

The first point I won't say much on, other than the fact that all things being equal, the fittest person wins. The cardiovascular system is not that specific to the task at hand. If you can move blood and exchange air using kettlebells, you can do it in any movement.

The second point I think is a big one. I learned how to run when I was 10 months old, so I really do see any reason to practice it. I know that if I need to, I will be able to do it. Not exactly a high skill endeavor (on a scale of 0-10, it would be in the square root club). What still surprises me is how many people run, and have ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE how to do the simple task of putting one foot in front of the other. Here are some of the common errors that I see:

* Heel striking, putting undue forces on knees, backs, and ankles.
* Running upright, poor directionality of force.
* Arms are all over the place, leaking energy.
* Poor core function.
* Mouth breathing, inefficient use of the lungs.

A recent study showed that about 66% of runners get injured doing something that is a sub activity of most sports with much lower injury rates.

This got me thinking about the RKC snatch test, if you don't have to practice running all the time to be decent at running, why do people feel that they need to practice the snatch test to get decent at snatching. Why don't they just:

1) Get in shape, and

2) Learn to snatch.

I think the best example of this is how they program it in Enter The Kettlebell. I won't divulge the whole program, but you only snatch once a week. This program will get you in shape and you will groove a decent snatch technique, and that is all you need.

But what is strange, is that when someone says "I want to be an RKC.", they think now they have to snatch all the time. You don't. Skill level wise, the snatch test is not in the square root club, but it is less than the number of toes you have on ONE of your Vibrams. Eventually, that person will probably tear up their hands or jack up their body. Here are some common errors that people make when programming their snatch preparation:

1) They practice way too often. Again, it is low skill level. You don't need to practice it every day or even every other day.

2) They start snatching before they have good swing technique and overhead mobility. The foundation is not their, but they are trying to build a house on it.

3) They add volume before the have good technique. All you are doing is learning how to snatch poorly. If you can't get nine reps in fifteen seconds in MaxVO2 with a light bell, and you are doing 25-40 minutes, put yourself in this category.

3) They never work on remedial snatch drills. Heavy snatches, dead snatches, double snatches, hang snatches, and fast snatches all have their place in improving different parts of the snatch path. It is amazing how many people "think" they always have to snatch the 24kg bell. Heavy bells work on force production, dead snatch FORCE hips to be first, doubles virtually eliminate an arm cast, and light/fast snatches eliminate motion leaks, hang snatches teach you to catch the bell with your hips and not your arms. When I see someone get hurt during snatches, usually their technique is jacked. When I see someone fail the snatch test, if it more likely their technique is subpar rather than their conditioning. They have probably been practicing garbage for months.

4) They don't wave intensity/weight and volume/duration. If you don't understand this concept, you have no business teaching anything other than a beach burpee boot camp. If you want to develop athletes, you have to balance frequency and load.

5) They test way too often. It this regard, testing is like looking in the mirror or weighing yourself. It doesn't change anything. Testing is not going to get you in shape or improve technique. What is also does is limit how often you can practice techique or remedial drills.

So if you are preparing for the RKC, does your preparation make sense, or are you being shortsighted? When my guys and gals take the snatch test, they almost always pass the first time. Why? I don't let them test until they are in shape and know how to snatch. This checkpoint actually lets someone be able to do this after 3-5 months of training. One last thing I will say is that when a runner trains with me, they get better at running, even though I do NO RUNNING with them.

Brad Nelson Sissy Challenge, part II

2011-06-11T17:32:00.000-07:00

My facebook friends and fellow RKCs Nicole Money and Shane England of The Edge in Dayton, OH dug up Brad Nelson's "Sissy Challenge" is a very simple but brutal test.

Here is the workout:
25 Burpees/1 swing,
24 Burpees/2 swings,
23 Burpees/3 swings,
.....,
2 Burpees/24 swings,
1 Burpee/25 swings
==> For Time (This works out to 325 burpees and swings.

==> I did this workout in 46:15 with a 32kg (including pushups and clapping jumps), here are the stats:
Average HR: 170 (95.0% of MHR)
Max HR: 184 (102.8% of MHR)
Cals: 761 (16.45/minute)

Here are some observations.

1) I did this about 4 years ago (pre-RKC) and did this in over 48 minutes with a 24kg bell. I was sore all over the next two days, right now I am fresh as a daisy. Quads, calves, chest, and hams were destroyed the first time.

2) The key to this is to keep moving. A hard but a steady pace you can maintain. With the burpees, which are really just a bunch of singles, break them up. So if you are doing 15 burpess, divide into manageable pieces, like 8 + 4 + 3 burpees. For some reason the "reverse ladders" (e.g., 23 burpees, do 11, 8, 4) seemed to work. I see a lot of people rush stuff in Met-Con type workouts, and there is not reason to. If the workout is going to take over 30 minutes, you don't need to rush or sprint. You will gas out. Split your workout so that you leave something in the tank.

3) During my first 25 burpees, my heart rate was in the mid-160s.

4) The first time I did this, I did the 25 swings first. I don't it made a huge difference - but I do think the front loaded burpees had more of a degrading effect over the backloaded swings than the front loaded swings had on the backloaded burpees.

5) I wasn't really "fresh" for this test. I did a pretty bad-ass (for me anyways) set of Max VO2 snatches. 20kg x 30 x 8L/:15 rest/8R/:15 rest.

6) I really was not looking forward to this. I probably procrastinated about 45 minutes before starting.

7) Once you start, you really can't stop. It is like a jail sentence.

8) The burpees started getting easier around the set of 16 burpees

9) The swings started to get hard around the 21 mark. There just wasn't enough burpee time to rest between. That is about the point where I split into two sets with minimal rest.

10) I am still of the opinion that lunges and burpees are the most rudimentary exercises that trainers who can't acually teach skills use.. People seem to pride themselved on not being able to walk after doing lunges, esp new trainees. Same with burpees. Don't brag about hurting your wrist doing burpees. All it means is that you are a dumbass. I only do burpees when it is part of a challenge or a boot camp workout that I am unfortunately participating in. The burpee is not exactly a high skill exercise. I was doing pushups at 4, jumping at 3, and clapping as soon as I knew I had hands. Not a high skill exercise. You don't need burpees to get in shape. I will say this, they do get the heart rate up, but so does a kick in the nads.

11) This part is just math, but doing this challenge from 1-20 is not 80% as hard as 1-25. In 1-25, you are doing 325 burpees and swings. In 1-20, you are only doing 210, or 65.%. Also, the hardest sets ARE over 25% harder.

12) One of my coaches called this the "Rhabdo challenge". I would set a time limit of 80 minutes on this. Anything after 80 minutes is not going to help you. If you can't do this in this time, I can't imagine how sore you are going to feel.

13) This test is nothing more than a gut check, but you will remember it. It is strange, but the workouts that I remember are ones with 1 or 2 exercises. For example, I did 154 315lb deadlifts in 30 minutes in the Jack Reape deadlift challenge. I could literally feel my heartbeat in my pelvic floor and felt HOT TO THE TOUCH four hours later. This had nothing on that. It is not always the most skilled or genetically gifted that wins, sometimes it is about what you got.

14) I could ring sweat out of the chest band of my heart rate monitor.

15) I am going to put this challenge up to my peeps at Xtreme Athletix, USF Kettlebell Club, and Core Fitness Solution.

16) I wouldn't even use this as a gauge of conditioning. So much depends on the quality of pushup and degree up jump. I would do this about every four years, just like the Olympics. I never miss the Olympics, and I won't miss this.

Brian Sabean comments regarding Scott Cousins

2011-06-06T09:02:00.000-07:00

Whenever a player, especially a star player such as Buster Posey, gets injured, emotions will get heated and controversy will ensue. Here are my thought on the matter.

I have refereed probably over 350 soccer games in my life. My primary job is to protect the players' safety and make sure to protect the integrity of the game. This is no different than any other sports official. In looking at a play like this, you have to look at two things:

1) Did Scott Cousins break any rules? Simply put, the answer is "no".

2) Did Scott Cousins take any liberties with Buster Posey? Absolutely not. He went towards the outside of the plate, and hit Posey on the left shoulder after he went to block the plate. The injury was to the left ankle because it was bent backwards. He was playing the game by the rule. If he was taking liberties, he wouldn't have checked to see if he was OK.

Now the other question is, should the rule be changed, to protect the players safety? Personally, I think so. The reason, you have a catcher who is stationary, that this going up against a guy who has a 30 yard head of steam. He is a sitting duck, and that is just not a fair situation. I also don't think that it adds anything to the game, unless you enjoy snuff films or kicking puppies. Change the rule so that:

1) You have to slide into the plate, and

2) The catcher can only block the plate IF they have posession of the ball.

This will make it fair!

Heart Rate Monitor, Polar FT7

2011-06-02T05:27:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

One of the biggest things they talk about in fitness is exercise intensity. Usually when they talk about this, they are referring to one of two ideas.
* Strength: % of 1RM (i.e., percentage of 1 Repetition Maximum, or the percentage of what you can lift one time)
* Cardiovascular: % of Maximum Heart Rate

For this discussion, I am talking about cardiovascular intensity. I bought a HR monitor to check this out. Here are some workouts that I have tracked.
* Lying Down: 55-58
* Sitting: 61-65
* Walking: 72-90
* KB Military Presses: Typically at the end of the workout my HR is in 85-100.
* DDR: 110-150 (will try snorkel and weighted vest versions)
* Swings: 150-160 (32kg and above, will try Tabata)
* MaxVO2 snatches: up to high 170s after about 20 minutes with the 20kg/8 reps
* Continuous 24kg snatches/burpees combo: ~ 160
* Going to try High Octane Cardio, Oly Lifting, and Bowling

I think the idea that my MaxHR is 179, and the corresponding Fat Burn and Cardiovasculature Conditioning Zones that come with it, are highly underestimated (and keep in mind, they are ESTIMATES).

Kettlebell Training Versatility and Continuation of the Learning Process

2011-05-09T06:23:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest benefits of Russian Kettlebell Training, besides blowtorching bodyfat and getting stronger, is its ability to physically prepare you for ANYTHING. I train with kettlebells, and I feel I can go into any bootcamp or jump into any sport and be able to not only hang, but excel. I typically train with people that are 10-18 years younger than I am, and I have no problem keeping up.

But even more important than the supposed differences in training methods, there are common threads that run through all sorts of training. I got the opportunity to join in a boot camp workout the other day. The workout of the day prescribed for me was:

3 Rounds of:
* 50 Double Unders
* 50 Kettlebell Swings (70lb)
* 50 Push Presses (95lb barbell)
==> I finished in 31:21, which is not elite or even good. The double unders slowed me down. This is not suprising, since over 90% of the double unders that I have done in my life were done in this workout. What was suprising was the things that I have learned in just this workout that transfer over to the snatch test:

1) Timing/Technique: When doing double unders, rope has to go under you twice. That does not mean that it has to make two full revolution around your body. It really only has to make 1.00001. You want to start your jump right as the rope is going under you. In my case, it takes 2 to 4 singles in between double under attempts. Those that are skilled at it are doing with 1 or no singles in between. In the snatch test, depending on the test, you want to either execute each snatch with at little effort as possible or execute each rep as fast as possible. Wasted motion/energy has not part in the equation. Here is a simple test. If you are doing max VO2 snatching, and you "can't" get 9 reps in 15 seconds with a light bell - YOU HAVE TIMING ISSUES. Usually they are:
* You start your "second pull" too late and the elbow separates from the body.
* You start the downward motion by pushing the bell forward rather than breaking the elbow.
* Your hips go back to early on the downstroke. This causes a wider arc.
* You lead the snatch with your arms instead of your hips.

2) Counsel: Since a lot of insights come from doing, learn from people who can do it and get their clients to do it, not just from people who have read about it, internet experts, or people who make excuses about not being able to do it. It is amazing to see how much bad advice there is on the snatch test FROM PEOPLE THAT HAVE NEVER PASSED IT. If you haven't passed it, your only answer should be "I don't know, but I know someone who does."

3) Learn to rest under load: In the double unders, learn to relax while doing single. In the push presses, learn to rest in the overhead position. Both of these let you eliminate time resetting the bar. In the snatch test, even though you can put the bell down, don't. Learn to rest at the top. By the way, learning to rest at the top is just that: Resting. Open your hand will force you to relax.

4) Breaking up sets: The key to passing the snatch test is to keep the bell moving. My strategy has always been simple. Get a big chunk out of the way with only one hand switch (for me that was 35L/35R) without the bell slowing down, then keep it in the air. In getting that "big chunk" out of the way, you don't want to do so many that the bell starts slowing down or your grip becomes the limiting factor. It is similar with the push presses. If your limit is 15, do 10-12. As you get closer to your limits, recovery time goes up exponentially...you don't want that. Let bar speed and speed between reps be your guide on both.

For the push presses, I did 10-12 reps at first, and had to finish with between 6 and 8. I know that if I did 10, I could rest for about 20s and be good to go. If I did 15, it would be closer to 1 minute.

So the general rule in the snatch test would be:
* Get your big chunk early (20-35L/20-35R), but the chunks shouldn't be so big that you get fatigued and need a lot of rest. For most people this will be between 60 and 75% of your max reps. In the snatch test, any time you lose early you can't get back.

* Chip away at the remaining reps between hand switches to keep from dropping the bell.

So in the workout my round split time were:

Round 1: 10:24
Round 2: 10:10 (my double unders were slightly faster, push presses slightly slower)
Round 3: 10:47 (double unders were slower/more misses)

Pretty consistent times. That is what general conditioning is going to do. You can walk into any boot camp or workout and have the conditioning, strength, and joint mobility to do what they do. You are ready for anything! But also keep in mind, you can learn from anything too!

Core/Joint Mobility Kettlebell Workshop at Xtreme Athletix

2011-05-02T07:31:00.000-07:00

More info
To Register: http://tinyurl.com/XA-Kettlebell-Workshops

Core strength, in terms both of mobility and stability, it is the cornerstone of athleticism. Learn how to use kettlebells to improve your core strength. If your idea or abdominal training is endless crunches, you NEED this workshop. A BOSU ball -- You are not serious, are you?
The foundation exercises taught in this workshop include:
* The Turkish Get Up (or TGU)
* The Renegade Row (learn how to stabilize your core under movement)
* Russian Twists (to hit all of the rotators in the abs)
* One handed farmers walks and deadlifts (to stabilize under uneven loads)
* Figure Eights

Learn not only how to do these exercises, but how to integrate them into your training program.

If you want to train your core the way athletes do, this workshop is where it's at.

Prerequisites: None, open to all fitness levels and abilities.

Registration will be closed 24 hours before date of workshop.

Space is limited to first 10 people.

To Register: http://tinyurl.com/XA-Kettlebell-Workshops

Beach Workout -- Lessons learned

2011-05-02T07:27:00.000-07:00

I went on vacation last week. Here is a beach workout that you can try.

The Fort Myers 500:
100 Military Presses: 5 x 10L/10R
100 Goblet Squats: 10 x 10
100 Snatches: 5 x 10L/10R
100 Cleans: 5 x 10L/10R
100 Swings: 2 x (20 2H/10R/10L/10 H2H)

Lessons Learned:
* Snatching in sand will give you feedback if you are casting the bell or not. If the bell gets away from you, your toes will push into the sand.

* Swinging in sand will prevent the "drinky bird" swing

* Pressing in sand will fix lack of thoracic extension.

Guest Blog Post on World's Strongest Librarian...

2011-05-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

I got the opportunity to write a guest post on one of my favorite blogs, World's Strongest Librarian.

Here is my guest post: http://worldsstrongestlibrarian.com/10900/dance-dance-revolution-exercise-yes-a-video-game-for-fat-loss/#comments

My favorite time of the year......NFL Draft Time

2011-04-26T08:04:00.001-07:00

Here is some of my observations/predictions for the NFL Draft this weekend.

1) The mock drafts have been all over the place since the beginning of January. That is interesting, because not a down of football has been played since then. Anyone who has ever put on a jock knows that competition is different from workouts, practice, drills, and all-star games. Todd McShay was a backup quarterback at the University of Richmond, and should know better. I have a feeling, with the exception of the quarterbacks, is that the draft is going to be closer to January's than to April's mock drafts.

2) One thing I like about that top quarterbacks (Newton, Gabbert, Dalton, Locker, Ponder, and Kaepernick) is that they all look like quarterbacks. They just have that look. I still think the reason that Jeff George and Ryan Leaf did not have more success is that they did not look like or carry themselves like quarterbacks. (Note: Personally, except in Atlanta, Jeff George was misused and could have been an elite quarterback and Hall of Famer)

3) Most of the mock drafts have Nick Fairley (Auburn) going either 8th (Titans) or lower. All you need is one to fall in love with him, and I think he is going to go earlier. Anyone who watched the BSC Championship knows why. All the talk about taking plays off is bunk. As a defensive tackle, you can't play with your hair on fire all the time. Sometimes you have to hold the point of attack and let your teammates make plays. People who micromanage watching film lose sight of this.

4) There is no way Da'Quan Bowers (DE/Clemson) goes 17th-20th like many of the mocks suggest. Former #1 projection, again, only needs one team to love him. I just can't see him falling to New England, San Diego, New York Giants, or Tampa Bay. This guy is too physical, too productive, and too versatile to fall that far.

5) There are a lot of good defensive ends in this draft (Aldon Smith, Missouri; JJ Watt, Wisconsin; Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue; Bowers, Clemson; Cameron Jordan, Cal; Justin Houston, Georgia; Adrian Clayborn, Iowa; and Cameron Heyward, Ohio State) projected between 11 and 26. I am not buying it. I think the offensive tackles (Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin; Nate Solder, Colorado; and Derek Sherrod, Miss. St.), which I think is a much stronger group, bump a couple of these guys into the second round. Also, the top safety, second best guard, and second best running back, will also bump a couple of these guys down.

6) I think that Detroit will continue their run of good picks (Calvin Johson, Matthew Stafford, N. Su) with Prince Amukamara (Nebraska). I don't think he is Deion Sanders, but he will be a solid starter that will make many positions better. I think if Bradford stays healthy the Lions make the playoffs.

7) Anyone who sees the films can see that AJ Green (Georgia) is a better wide receiver than Julio Jones (Alabama). Stop focusing on stuff that doesn't matter and watch the games. Being a wideout is about two things: getting open and catching the ball. Green is superior in both of them.

8) I would not want the first pick. There isn't a sure thing is this draft. Also, Carolina drafted two quarterbacks last year (Jimmy Clausen and Tony Pike). I don't envy their situation. There isn't a good pick for them. They should skip it, just so they can pay less. It would be a greater value, picking 3rd, but very bad PR. Note: at one point, both Clausen and Pike were top-10 projected picks.

9) The offensive tackle group is solid, but there isn't a Munoz, Pace, or Walter Jones in the bunch. There are some Matt Lights and Joe Thomases, however.

10) New England has the 17th and 28th picks in this years draft. I would hold pat (no pun intended), because both are great value picks. I can't justify a reason to trade up. They are however, in a great position to trade down, esp. if teams are antsy about missing out on a quarterback, defensive end, or offensive tackle. They like to stockpile picks. They also have the luxury of taking the "best available athlete".

Quick Review of "Dance Dance Revolution" for Wii.

2011-04-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

Anyone familiar with my blog or Facebook page knows that I am such a dork about Dance Dance Revolution (DDR). If you are looking to get in shape, all I know is this:

1) If someone is good at DDR, they are probably not overweight. It happens, but not nearly as often as with people who are good at weight lifting, kettlebells, Zumba, running, or spinning.

2) If someone is good at DDR, they cardiovascular system is in good working order. I very much can't say about the Under-armour wearing mullet who has to sit down between sets.

3) If someone is good at DDR, they move well and for the most part they are injury free. I definitely can't say this about my running and spinning friends. Some people who do Zumba don't even look like they can get out of bed on their own.

I am such a proponent of DDR that I am going to write an e-book about using it to get in shape. I use it in conjuction with High Octane Cardio, my weighted X-vest and swings. I have lost 36 lbs. since getting DDR 3 years ago, and unlike others that write about weight loss, I am still losing weight. DDR can very much be a convenient, effective, and sustainable form of fitness.

That being said, here is a review of the newest Wii version of Dance Dance Revolution.

Popular Songs (GRADE: D-): In this regard, this new version sucks ass. Lots of Jordan Sparks and Kelly Clarkson-type stuff. Just because it has popular appeal doesn't mean it has DDR appeal. Also, there is not as much range with these songs as their were in previous version. The worst part of this is that the foot rate for these songs is very slooooooooow compared to other version. This limits its exercise value.

Boss Songs (Grade: B+): "Boss" means "made for DDR." These songs are pretty good, at least the ones I have been able to unlock. Entertaining, well choreographed, and fun to dance to.

Choreography(Grade: A): Even though the song choice was pretty bad, the choreography was pretty good for what they had to work with.

Wii Remote/Nunchuk use (Grade: B): This is a feature that I always have turned off because it was annoying. The response reliability was really bad and it did not add anything to the game. This was consistently shitty throughout the entire Hottest Party series. Well, this version it has all changed:

a) The reliability is pretty good.

b) You do different things with the remote (slash, punch, swing, hand circles), which makes it more fun. For those that work with mobility, some of the pattern have a "Indian club" feel to them. They loosened up my shoulders a lot. One drawback, however, is when you are using them (i.e., Choreography Mode), the foot rate is really slow. I do thing this is a big improvement and it compares favorable to Xbox Kinect's "Dance Central", and you don't have the annoying calibration of the Kinect's.

c) The one bad point about this is when using the Choreography Mode, the foot rate for most songs is very slow.

d) If you do "Expert" level in Choreography Mode, you are not cued as to what to do. You have to follow what the dancer on the screen does. This is a really plus and was a lot of fun.

Exercise Value (Grade: C+): The other versions, especially Hottest Part 1 and 2, are way better. As I open up more songs, my opinion may change, but the songs, especially the popular ones, are definitely sissyfied.

Kettlebell Workshop_INTRO_generic

2011-04-05T07:10:00.001-07:00

Kettlebell Workshop_INTRO_generic
Originally uploaded by faizalenu

I am hosting an INTRO kettlebell workshop at Xtreme Athletix on 4/9 and 4/16.

To register: http://tinyurl.com/XA-Kettlebell-Workshops

$35/month for Boot Camp @ Xtreme Athletix

2011-03-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

Xtreme Athletix and Crowd Savings have teamed up to offer you 82.5% off a free month of Boot Camps.

Good to www.CrowdSavings.com to get your voucher and join the fun.

Here are some of my thoughts on the NFL draft

2011-03-08T06:48:00.000-08:00

1) The NFL combine has given rise to more local strength coaches that have no idea what the hell they are doing, especially at the youth level. Some people still don't know the difference between testing and training.

2) The Combine has "Jumped the Shark". No one cares as much as they used to. I think anyone that has ever put on a jock knows there are some people that have a second gear during games. The Combine does not take this into account.

3) Analysts really make too much about small changes in draft position. If you draft in the first round, and get someone who is a started for a long time, you made a good pick. Research previous drafts, I think teams barely 50/50 in this regard.

4) There really should be no such thing as any "positions" that you should not take too early. The common theme is that you don't take the following positions early in the draft: OG, C, MLB/ILB, S. Troy Palamalu and Ed Reed were picked in the 20's, and they are absolute studs. John Lynch was a third rounder. A good middle linebacker is the captain of your defense. A good center or guard gives your offense options (think Pouncey, Mankins, or Hutchinson). A player is a player.

5) In my lifetime, I have only seen three "automatics" as far as first pick quarterbacks: Peyton Manning, Troy Aikman, and John Elway. David Carr, Jeff George, JaMarcus Russell, Sam Bradford, Matthew Stafford, Drew Bledsoe, Vinny Testaverda, Tim Couch, Michael Vick (yes, I am putting him here), Carson Palmer, Eli Manning were not. Which group would you put Blaine Gabbert and Cam Newton.

6) I think with the first 8 picks in the draft so close talent-wise. I see teams pulling a Minnesota and just skipping a pick to select lower and pay less. This is going to be the modern version of "trading down".

7) Your draft board should not change much between December and April, but it does. If it does, it is probably for reasons that don't matter. Think of every stupid work meeting you ever had -- that is probably what is happening here.

8) I have a feeling Kiper and McShay totally missed on Tyson Alualu last year. Neither received much criticism for a someone drafted about 30 spot ahead of projected who became a immediate starter.

9) I think more of the crappy teams should trade down. They don't suck because they are missing one player. They are missing a lot of players. Three very good players are usually better than one great player. The teams that are very good are often missing just one player. Unlike basketball, football is about depth and not about superstars.

10) This draft is very deep, not so good on top level talent. Last year you had Eric Berry, Joe Haden, Suh, Bradford, Okung, and Williams. These players are much better than their counterparts this year.

Radio Appearance....

2011-03-07T05:11:00.000-08:00

I was featured on Life Improvement Radio's "Working Out on the Edge" segment on Feb 16th. Here is the podcast:

Here is the podcast

Jeb Downing and Whitney Lassiter of Life Improvement Radio did a great job of making me feel comfortable. A couple of people have told me that I did a great job of representing kettlebells, Dragon Door, Xtreme Athletix, and the USF Kettlebell Club.

Let me know what you think!

Just some things that have to be said.....

2011-02-28T19:54:00.000-08:00

This Logan Christopher/300 Snatch controversy have stirred up a lot of emotions. Here are some things that I feel have to be said:

1. Fast and Loose: Numbers have meaning. Words have meaning too. When you say "kettlebell snatch", people have a preconceived notion of what it means. It doesn't mean "superior conditioning". It doesn't mean "lung-blowing feat of strength". It means that you explosively bring a kettlebell overhead to a locked position in one motion. No matter how fast you move, it is either a snatch or it isn't. Don't play fast and loose with words order to achieve a number. The number doesn't mean anything if the words don't. Again, I can appreciate it for being a great test of superior strength, conditioning, and mental toughness, but that doesn't make it "300 snatches". Just because you don't think 300 snatches is impossible in 10 minutes doesn't give you free reign to change the scope of a snatch.

2. Blindly forwarding content is no better than SPAM: If I subscribe to your mailing list, and you send me a video and say that I need to watch it, I think it is assumed that you have watched it. If you haven't, don't pimp it around to your subscribers. What you are saying is that my time is not as valuable as yours. More time was taken to market the product than look at the product. I see a disturbing trend of cross promotion that focuses on the person and not the content. Remember, content is KING and thus should always come first.

Even the people who send me spam about Viagara, hip replacements, and Work-from-Home jobs have taken the time to know what is on the other end of the link. And I don't even know those people.

3) Buildup: If you build something up, it better be worth the buildup. I have a friend that I bowled with in the Florida State Tournaments. He got waaaaaaaaaaaay too excited about it for way to long. At the end of the day, it is just bowling. He built it up so big that he couldn't just enjoy it. It is what it is, a fun weekend of bowling and competition, if you make it any more than that, you will be disappointed.

I think some of the backlash from this video was they way it was hyped. It was announced two weeks in advance. People asked about it on the forums. People kept asking about it. It was promoted by two Master RKCs. You had to provide your e-mail to see it. There was a 4-6 minute introduction. There were comparisons to Valery and Superman. It didn't live up to the hype for everyone. Because of that there was going to be backlash. They were expecting one thing, and got another. If you think it was bad on DragonDoor, you should have seen the criticism on Iron Garm.

4) Stay genuinely excited with fitness accomplishements: Are we so jaded with kettlebell lifting that when someone asks you to help promote a video with the words "300 snatches" that the video is not worth watching BEFORE passing it on to others? I mean, there were people having wet dreams about this on the forum for over a week before it came out. I hope that no matter where I go in this industry that I never get so involved in the business side of things that I can't get excited when someone performs amazing feats of physical strength and endurance. Imagine this conversation:

Peter: Hey Faizal, did you hear some dude out in Northern California did 300 snatches in 10 minutes. I mean, you were happy the first time you got over 200. I got 100 in under 5 minutes and it damn near killed me. I got a link to the video, do you want to watch it?

Faizal: No, I don't have time. Tell you what, I bet my blog subscribers and Meetup Group want to see it. Send me a link, and I will pass it on to them.

5) Look through your own eyes: When I got Logan's video, while I was impressed with the effort (just keeping a bell up in the air for 10 minutes is killer), the very first thing I did is asked the people who sent me the video "Did you watch this video?" My heart of hearts told me they didn't.

If you were on either of the mailing lists, and your first gut response was to not ask "Did you watch this video?" of the person sending it to you, you REALLY need to think whose eyes you are looking at stuff through. If that answer is anyone's but your own, you really need to take a good look in the mirror. I saw this quote this weekend: "You see what you see, not what someone else sees. A friend of mine posted an opinion about what he saw on FB, and was told that "He shouldn't write stuff like that, people will get mad." SO WHAT! What you see is what you see, no matter the context of what you are looking at. I won't get mad at someone because I disagree with them. I will get mad if they lie to me. I have had disagreements about lots of thing in the fitness industry. Even if I don't agree with them, I learn from it. No one should ever be afraid of questioning what they are told because of who they might upset. If the person gets upset, it is because they:

* Don't have an answer or logical reasoning, and/or

* They are insecure.

I have known generally when I have upset people, 1 of the above was true. When I asked if "Did you watch the video?", I was glad I got honest answers! It takes a lot of guts to be honest. Your reaction to the video should be about what you see, not what your affiliation is or who your role model it.

Food Post: 2/25

2011-02-25T13:00:00.000-08:00

Breakfast: 8 AM
* Rotisserie Chicken and Broccoli (Raw)
* Hummus

Lunch: 3:00 PM
* 2 Deviled Crabs

I feel like I am missing something....

Food Log: 02/24

2011-02-24T15:13:00.000-08:00

Really have no appetite today:
Wake Up @ 8 AM: Good to sleep in after bowling, not hungry at all

1:00PM: Apple
Water from home

3:15PM: Coffee (1.47)
Small Bag of Honey Roasted Peanuts ($.59)

5:45PM:
8oz Carne Picada
1 carrot

Food Post: 2/23

2011-02-24T07:04:00.000-08:00

Morning: 1 Protein Shake (Milk, Water, Protein Powder, Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate)
Early Afternoon: Carne Picada Steak (8oz)
1 Protein Shake (Milk, Water, Protein Powder, Peanut Butter)
==> Meal Cost: ~$1.10

2:00 PM: Workout (Chest)

3:30 PM: Low Carb Latte at Indigo Coffee:
==> Meal Cost: $3.64

4:30 PM: Carne Picada Steak (8oz): $1.12
1 can canned carrots: $.67
==> Meal Cost: $1.79

6:00 PM Meditation@

7:30 PM: Shopping @ Publix Greenwise, Shopping List:
Family Combo Meal: Rotisserie Chicken, 1lb Coleslaw, 1lb Baked Beans for $10.59
5lb Organic Carrots: $5.99
Celery Hearts: $2.29
Kale Greens (precut): $2.99 (I decided to try this again)

8:30 PM: Workout (TGU - 10L/10R)
1 Protein Shake (Milk, Water, Protein Powder, Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate)

9:15: Bowling (244-203-192 -- Flagged two 9 pins in a row and a 5 pin in the 10th of the third game to lose. Unacceptable)
2 O'Douls
==> Meal Cost: $8.00 (@$2.70 + $2.60 tip)

Post Bowling Meal:
Rotisserie Chicken, Cole Slaw, Baked Beans
==> They had a great deal at Publix. Normally a Chicken is $7.30, but you can add to sides (value: $4.50) and Bread Rolls (value: $.99) for a total of only $10.56
==> Meal Cost: Still need to estimate.

Introductory Kettlebell Workshop, South Tampa

2011-02-23T13:44:00.000-08:00

I am hosting an Introductory Kettlebell Workshop at Xtreme Athletix this Saturday, Feb 26th at 10:30 AM. There is no time like the present.

To Register: http://tinyurl.com/XA-Kettlebell-Workshops

Sometimes I just don't get it....

2011-02-22T20:04:00.000-08:00

1) If you are bench pressing, and you can fit a Nathan's foot long VERTICALLY between you the bar and your chest: a) It is not a bench press and b) It won't do a damn thing for your chest. Same goes for a pushup and the floor.

2) If you do deadlift, and it is anything other than a barbell lifted from the floor, you need some terms to qualify what it is. I used a trap bar, so those are called "Trap Bar Deadlifts". If you use a kettlebell, it is a Kettlebell Deadlift. If you pull from pins in a squat rack, it is called a Rack Pull. Stiff legged deadlifts and Dimel Deadlifts are not really deadlifts at all, since you are not lifting from a dead stop, but those two lifts have been referred to so often as not to be misleading.

If you are not deadlifting from the floor, it is something else. You are lying if you don't clarify.

3) I got a one-week trial membership to a local gym in town. I honestly think that they have 50 cardio machines to every (i.e., both) squat rack. There was a trainer working with a female, and for a little while I was actually impressed because he got her to an above BW squat that was actually less that 1 foot from parallel. The bad part was that he left the 25lb plates on the bar and he put 4 10lb plates on the floor. Congrats to your client for doing a one plate above parallel squat. That doesn't make her the Queen of Hyde Park, put your fuckin' weights away.

4) Hey, if you are taking growth hormone, we can tell. And when you look at us to see if we are looking at you, we are. And we are wondering, what kind of douchebag doctor runs a hormone mill.

5) If I ask you how many sets you have left on the leg press and you say "two", don't check your Iphone of Blackberry between steps.

6) Making your client do a squat or a lunge between reps on exercise equipment doesn't fool anyone into thinking that you know what you are doing. It just shows that you have to use smoke and mirrors to hide then fact that:
* You can't lift anything heavy, and ipso facto
* You can't teach anyone to do the same.

7) If you are female, don't wear shorts, and your workout pants are "reinforced", you:
* Are not fooling anyone, and
* You look ridiculous

8) I was in the Gym for 75 minutes and I saw the:
* Jillian Michael's Clean and Press, and
* Ryan Shanahan "Squat and Front Raise" swing

9) I saw a guy wearing Parachute Pants and a tank top. Took me back to 1994. The only justification for him wearing those pants is that he got a lot of action back then. I think he just cut his mullet too. He "looked" like he was in good shape, but got winded stretching.

10) Just make it an even 10.

10.

Diet Challenge: 2/22

2011-02-22T13:19:00.000-08:00

12:45 AM: 1 16oz Miller Lite
Meal Cost: $5.00 (yeah, even though I am trying to spend as little as possible, I am still going to tip)

1:45 AM: 1/2 CVS High Energy Mix
Meal Cost: $2.50 (some part of it was paleo, some wasn't)

10:00 AM: Protein Shake (Water, Protein Powder, Peanut Butter)
Meal Cost: $.67

1:45 PM: Diet Coke (12oz can)
Meal Cost: $.60 (While it doesn't get any cheaper than this, this is really an EMPTY choice)

4:00 PM: Cappuccino (Indigo Coffee)
Meal Cost: $4.27 (It was good)
==> I feel like a wasted $5

7:30 PM: Protein Shake (yes, I am going to prepare some real food)
==> Thought about getting Wings from Tampa Bay Brewing Company. Tue is wing day and you get 1.5lb of wings for the price of a lb. But at $8.99 it really costs about $12.00 with tax and tip. So $3 would to local government and some dude I don't know instead of in my stomach.
==> Meal Cost: $.67

10:00 PM
==> Carne Picada Steak, 8oz. Carne Picada steak costs around 2.23/lb
==> 3 roasted carrots, cost about $.80

1:00 AM: Protein Shake

Running Diet Log: 02/21

2011-02-21T06:56:00.000-08:00

Monday, 02/21:

9AM
* 1/2 cup yogurt, 1 oz. peanuts, 16 oz of tap water
==> I got the tub of yogurt cheap @ $1.99, Peanuts were $2.00 for 8oz
Meal Cost: $.50

1PM
* Chicken Dog from Race Track (no bun), Can of Peas
Meal cost: $1.74
==> The chicken dog was surprisingly satisfying.

3PM
* 2oz Meatloaf and can of Carrots, 16oz of tap water
Meal cost: ~$1.25, based on ground beef at $3.99/lb

4:00 PM
Protein Shake ("Elite Gourmet" Powder, Ice, 1oz Peanut Butter and Water)
==> Hungry
Meal Cost: $.70

7:30 PM
* Cup of Coffee
==> Coffee is a waste, it costs almost as much as a meal. If you get "coffee drinks", they cost as almost as much as two homemade meals.)
Meal Cost: $2.25

8:15PM
* 1oz Meatloaf (scrap) and 3 eggs
==> Not sure on the cost of the eggs. Used the leftover meat loaf more like a spice than an ingredient.
Meal Cost: $.24 + $.50 = $.74

10:00 PM
Protein Powder (the cheap stuff) and Water
Meal Cost: $.50

Total Cost: $7.68

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Food Purchases:
Village Health:
Mangostein w/Gogi Energy Drink: $.99
Guru Energy Drink
Kale Chips (aaaaaaaack): $.99
SupraFiber: $1.99 for 10.6oz

CVS: Two Campbell's Chunky Chili: 2 for $3
Two CVS Gold Emblem "High Energy Mix" 2 for $5

Diet Challenge

2011-02-20T16:58:00.000-08:00

Even though my weight is down to a svelte 177lbs, I still get bored by diet and look for new challenges. I found that when I set up special challenges (e.g., Jack Reape Deadlift Challenge, Faizal S. Enu Double Snatch Challenge, the RKC), I learn lessons that last a lifetime.

Here is my newest challenge: Spend as little possible on food in one week.

Objective: Incur the least amount of cost of food consumed during one week. The cost will be determined on a "consumption" basis and not a "cash-flow" basis.

Inspiration: I went to Whole Foods on Saturday, and I was VERY disappointed with how deconditioned and sickly many people in the store were. I was also disappointed with the food choices that were being made (expensive junk). I hate when people say "I can't afford to eat well."

Constraints: In this challenge, I could simply not eat, but not only would that be non-sporting, it would also be useless as a learning experience. Therefore I have the following constraints:
* No free food, or I will have to account for it as if I had bought it
* I have to keep up my current training volume
* I have to maintain my current weight

Reporting: I will report, in a separate blog post, everyday what I ate and spent.

Some observations about fitness industry...

2011-02-13T17:15:00.000-08:00

1) I have people focusing less on how much you are lifting (i.e. reps/sets) and more stuff that just doesn't matter. People want to make light weights hard rather than lifting heavy. I am not sure why this is, but I have a feeling that heavy lifting is just hard work. Also, some people think that they have to be "different" to get in shape. You don't, just put in the work. In my one boot camp, I talk about "Simple is not Easy".

2) In the top of the lift, like a kettlebell snatch, you want to stabilize the weight. Stable means it doesn't move. It does not mean that you look like you have been tased. I am not sure where this came into fitness vogue. Think of the word "stable" like the word "wet". Something is either wet or not wet. An overhead lockout is either stable or not. There is no "stabler".

3) A lot more people lunge than squat. I know the reason for this, and it is pathetic. If you are not getting the results you want, and you are not squatting, all other discussion is pointless until you squat.

4) The dragon walks, and shown in Beyond Bodybuilding, are the most underrated exercise ever. If you want to improve your squat depth or improve your balance and athleticism, do this exercise. For you runners out there, if you have IT band problems, do this to open them up. I do them as lunges, and they work great.

5) I don't bother asking how important fitness results are to someone's training. I just ask what they did in the last week. If you didn't do anything, it is not important. Nobody's goal is to be fat and weak, but they don't prioritize changing it.

6) I used to be a Civil Engineer, and one of the first thing we learned is if something "looks" wrong, it usually is. Trust your judgement. Movements should look strong and athletic.

7) People talk about the Biggest Loser recently, both positive and negative. Personally I find the show annoying for the following reasons:
* It is more focused on the drama than anything else.
* Most of the people that watch are those that should be training instead of watching TV.
* There isn't full disclosure about diet and medications (this is also what killed bodybuilding as a sport).
* It is completely unrealistic for most people.
* In a show like this, I should learn something from every show. I don't.
* The product placement on the show is ridiculous.

I will say this. The show for the most part does get results and does get people into better habits. I think if they went "full disclosure", it would have a bigger impact on our fitness landscape. Just like bodybuilding, people just say its the drugs. In Biggest Loser, people say "If I had a trainer.", "I have a job.", I have to take care of my family." It may not be the ratings winner, but it wouldn't be the turd sandwich it is today.

8) There seems to be a lot of overuse injuries. I have had them, but there is never an excuse for them. Overuse injuries are not from training hard, they are from badly planned training. And a torn callous is a overuse injury.

9) If your warmup lasts longer than your workout, you need to reconsider what you are doing.

10) If a fitness test can be "gamed" with bad technique, the test should be changed. People are complaining the the RKC snatch test can be passed with bad technique. No kidding, it is not a test of technique. If it doesn't meet the needs, change it. The old snatch test (one hand switch) penalized bad technique much more. It sounds like one problem (people using GS style snatches) was fixed and bigger one (ugly style) was created. If you can pass the test with sets of 8, don't expect it to be a test of technique. It is what it is.

Now, the snatch test is a small part of RKC weekend, and if you are an instructor, you should know how to pass any test put in front of you. I have seen both tests at certs, and I know which one rewards better technique. I have less of a problem with a corkscrew drop than I do with the swing/front raise or the forward cast that I see that is not penalized with unlimited switches.

RoTK Ballistic Block -- Why only one exercise?

2011-02-04T11:07:00.000-08:00

I can't say enough how many joint movements the long cycle teaches. If you Facebook status your workout as "Long Cycle: 2 32kg x 5 x (2,4,6,8) in 42:00", many think you are only doing one exercise and you worked out for less than two hours. But look at all of the joint actions that it covers:

* Ankle plantarflexion and eccentric dorsiflexion,
* Knee extension and eccentric flexion,
* Hip extension and eccentric flexion,
* Core stabilization and force absorption,
* Grip,
* Elbow flexion, extension, force absorption,
* Shoulder flexion and eccentric extension,
* Shoulder lateral rotation and eccentric internal rotation,
* Shoulder joint stabilization and force absorption,
* Lumbar stabilization and force absorption, and
* Thoracic extension and stabilization and force absorption

Seriously, no joint is left uncovered! I reiterate that most of the size gaining effects of RoTK are elicited from systemic stress rather than localized muscle failure. Look at how many muscle actions you are hitting. If you don't know what systemic overload is, one week of the ballistic block will show you. The grind block (double military presses), is systemic overload of the "neural drive" variety. You are not limited by shoulder strength, but your ability to support your pressing weight. That weight is trying to fold you in half. Same idea, different mechanism. The two-week alternating blocks are a kind of periodization on a "critical factor" level.

I am hitting the 2, 4, 6, 8, 10s with the 32kgs in 5 days. Not looking forward to it.

It is that time again......Resolution Reality Check....

2011-01-23T17:35:00.000-08:00

Well, it is that time again. One of my mentors in fitness, Linda Mullins of Core Fitness Solution, says that it takes 21 days to create a habit. Well, today is the 23rd. How are you doing on your New Year's Resolution?

* If you are doing well AND getting results, however you can define them, you can stop reading now. Keep doing what you are doing and keep me posted. I love hearing about success, small and large.

* If you are not, there are a number of reasons for it. I am not detailing them to play Monday morning quarterback, but so that you can learn and replan for success for the other 338 days of 2011.

1) Don't fit it into your schedule realistically: You're busy. I get it. We all get it, because I am sure you tell everyone. If you are busy, you have to plan your workouts just like you plan everything else. Pick a time slot, and plan on working out during it. Mornings are generally best for busy people, because if something comes up, you can probably find a way to fit it in later. Out of all of the reason, fitting it into lifestyle probably accounts for 2/3 of failures. Saying you "don't have time" is also bull. You just chose to do something else. That's OK, you are not going to get in shape any faster whether your excuse makes sense or not.

2) Work outweighs recovery: Lets say that after a lazy 2010 that you want to get back into fitness. That's great. If you are sore all the time or catch a cold after hitting it for two weeks, not so good, and more importantly, not sustainable. You might as well start making your 2012 resolution.

You always recover from workouts, but they can either be unplanned (sickness, injury) or planned (rest days, adequate sleep, recovery modalities). If you work out more, you have to eat better, sleep better, and use more recovery modalities (active movement, massage, foam rolling, etc.). If workouts are the only change you make, you are only addressing half of the equation and will get less than half the results.

3) Workout plan that is limited: If your workouts do not cover multiple athletic qualities, you are going to be limited in what you can do. Treadmill and crunches, besides eventually putting you in the surgical ward, do not cover strength, mobility, stabilization, power, or agility. It may work, for a month at best. Chances are that if this is your plan, you have already quit right now, either through lack of results or boredom. Your program needs to include multiple athletic qualities and have multiple stimulous sources. You don't have to work out each one everyday, but you need to address them periodically.

4) Workout Smorgasborg: This is kind of the opposite of 3 above. You are trying to do everything. Surprisingly enough, a lot of time when I work with client that want to improve, I take stuff away from their program rather than adding to it. Sometimes you have to simplify. If what you are doing is not working, get back to basics. Maybe something like a 4 day bodybuilder split, ... or circuit training for a little bit? .... Wendler's 5-3-1? .... ETK? Yoga. A lot of time with programs like this, by trying to address everything separately, you overtax what your body can do on a systemic level AND you run out of time to do it all. Instead of trying to make a priority out of everything (which technically is not a priority at all), focus on two things at a time. Rotate your focus on every two to three months and not only will you progress on everything, but you will be surprised how much easier it is. For you kettlebell folks out there, Pavel's Return of the Kettlebell works in two-week blocks, and you will be suprised in how fast multiple athletic qualities are increased, even though you are only focusing on one or two at a time.

5) Workout that is boring or tedious: If you can't see yourself doing what you are doing for the next 3 years, it is not sustainable. Pick something else. Exercise does not need to be torture.

6) Low pain tolerance: You are determined in your effort to get in shape, you are a just really sore the day after, like can't walk or go to the bathroom sore. You wonder if it is worth it. You need to handle this in two parts. The first is perspective. Being in pain is NEVER the goal, but I don't know anyone who is in shape that NEVER occassionally gets sore. It happens, get over it. The longer you stay with it, the less it happens.

7) Manage Expecations: I see this a lot. "I only lost two pounds this week." Over the course of a year, you are a new person. The fact of the matter is that people watch Biggest Loser, and they expect 1/2 the results in 1/10 the time and also while living a real life. Really, the person has two choices:
* Stick with what they are doing.
* Change what they are doing.

If the say, "You know, losing 2 lbs a week isn't really worth it.", that is on them. Grow up and stay with something longer for a month. If you look at someone who has lost 52 lbs in 6 months, NOT ONE PERSON WOULD SAY IT WASN'T WORTH IT. I know you can lose weight faster, but you don't have to lose it faster. I have seen people say, you can lose 30 lbs of fat (or gain over 20 lbs of muscle) in a month like I did, but they look more like their before picture. What is the point of that?

Think "sustainable". If you weight loss plan consists of eating like a social pariah and supplementing with drugs you can't afford, it's not sustainable.

8) Entitlement: This is a big one. Just because you are in the gym 14 hours a week doesn't mean you are entitled to any weight loss. Listen, mother nature doesn't lie. People do. You have a contract with your gym. The gym does not have a contract with your body. If you don't force your body to elicit change, it won't. Doing a twenty minute workout in a ninety minute gym session does not entitle you to a ninety minutes of results. Weight loss is the ultimate meritocracy. If you aren't getting results, find out why.

9) Diet: I will address diet a little differently then most. I know it is 80% of results. I find the whole diet topic extremely boring and mundane, but here are two things that I have noticed about diets:

* People are either delusional or completely full of crap about the things they put in their mouths. When doing intake evaluations, I can tell who was lying (about 75%) by:
- Looking at their skin, if you eat salad and grilled chicken breast, your skin will not be oily.
- If you start sweating, and it glistens like bacon grease, I pretty much know you are lying.

* I would be more successful at trying to change someone's religion than changing their eating habits. There is a comfort in the food people eat. Also, there are memories and relationships that revolve around food. Also, in some foods, there are definitely brain activities that are similar to recreational drug interactions. Generally speaking, I can tell anyone anything about working out and they will at least consider it. Nutrition, sometimes it gets heated. Not sure why this is, it is only food. I think it has something to do with the fact that we have been eating for our entire lives, so in a sense we are all EXPERTS.

This is why "Iron Chef America" drive me nuts. They make eating seem so complicated, but more importantly they act like everyone should like and eat the same thing. I think Iron Chef from Japan got it right. Their judges were not only food critics and restaurateurs, but also athletes, movie stars, fortune tellers, scholars, and other regular (albeit) famous folk. This is one area where the origin "Iron Chef" totally kicks the tar out of "Iron Chef America". I think this is why people get upset when they are told what to eat. They are probably thinking "Hey, I have been doing this for 40 years, I know what I am doing."

Also, you can't talk about diet and exercise separately for this simple reason: Managing weight is about managing blood sugar and BOTH diet and exercise have hormonal effects on how blood glucose is treated in the body.

10) Faith: I don't mean religious faith or even spirituality. What I am talking about here is the probabilistic nature of training and diet. Most things in life are very deterministic, e.g., if I do X, I get Y. Diet and exercise are very undercertain. If I do X, I get something between Y and Z. I think this causes a lot of people to lose faith, because there is no instant gratification. It is more like "if I do A, B, C, and D, I may get X or Y, but I could get Z, which could harm me. The uncertain nature of diet and training cause people to focus on things that are more certain.

Some basic gym etiquette rules...

2011-01-20T07:20:00.000-08:00

Sherry, you brought up a great topic: Gym Etiquette, I though I would add some things that people may find humorous.

1) Share equipment: You are not a five year old. Nothing in the gym is "yours". Let people work in. Even if they don't want to work it, don't feel like you have to invoke your "Squatter's rights" on a piece of equipment.

2) Leave stuff how you left it. Rerack weights and wipe stuff down. Also, disinfectant does not work drowning. More is not better, it just become toxic.

3) It is OK to be friendly or even start a conversation, but don't destroy the funk of someone's workout. That includes offering advice and hitting on someone. It is perfectly Emily Post to say "Hey, I am trying to work out." to any unwanted conversation or advances. Personal note: I can't imagine a worse place to hit on women then the gym. They see you at your worst, you can't avoid them, and I am sure they don't want to be the object of locker talk. Just saying.

4) Spots: If someone asks for a spot, give it to them unconditionally, unless you don't mind others thinking you are a self-absorbed dickhead). If you get a spot, you are on the spotters schedule, not yours, they are trying to workout to. Offer spots, it makes you look friendly. If you get pinned, it is your own fault. Don't complain about a spotter grabbing the bar too quick, they are not a professional.

5) Typically the guys and gals in better shape are usually the ones that also understand gym etiquette the best UNLESS their t-levels are so out of whack. No reason to be intimidated, there is no caste system in the gym. Also, unlike what other people think, they are also the most knowledgeable in a practical sense. If someone has a lot of book knowledge, but does not look or perform the part, the knowledge is used to create excuses. I think Planet Fitness paints a very judgmental and prejudiced view of this. I would post a PF video, but I don't want to give those douchehats free advertising.

6) Perspective: It is a workout, not the Olympics. No need to get all "Type A", obsessive-compulsive, or be a control freak about your workout. Act like a human in a society. Personal note: There is always one person in the gym who gets there at the same time everyday (typically mornings) and has to use the same treadmill every time. If you see that person, avoid them, they are really annoying and generally pretty useless socially as well.

7) Showering: Don't talk to anyone while you are naked. No one will say anything, but they are uncomfortable, annoyed, or very likely, BOTH.

8) If you don't want people to look at you, don't dress in a way that makes people look at you.

9) DON'T CURL IN THE SQUAT RACK!

Workshop Schedule....

2011-01-13T05:40:00.000-08:00

Sat 1/15 and 2/5: Introductory Kettlebell Workshop (10:30 AM to 12:15 PM)
Tue 1/18: Foundations 101: Basic Evolutionary Movement (7:00 PM to 9:00 PM)
Sat 1/22: Foundations 102 - The Paleo Advantage (12:30 PM to 3:30 PM)
Sat 1/29 & 3/12: Core Development (10:30 AM to 12:00 PM)

New Years Resolution Diets....

2011-01-11T08:48:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of people who are resolving to make 2011 the year they get in shape. The vast majority will not be successful. Too bad, so sad.

Here are 10 things to look for in your diet to ensure that you are trying to execute a crappy diet solution before you even get started:

1) You should NEVER have to eat anything that you don't like. There are essential nutrients, but there are no essential foods.

2) You should feel better a half hour after you eat, not worse. (Hey, I know some of those food that make you feel worse taste really good. Unless you are a fruit fly, you want to think longer term).

3) Your diet should allow some flexibility if you don't follow it 100%. If it doesn't, it sucks. As one of my engineering professors would say, your diet is not "robust." A good diet regulates your hormones and gives you "metabolic flexibility." Remember when you were 17 and could eat whatever your wanted. That was before you destroyed your hormones.

4) You should not feel hungry all the time. If you are, your insulin is out of whack.

5) At least 90%* of the cost for what you put in your mouth should be food. 10%* or less should be supplements or drugs.

6) Sticking to your diet should not mean that you have to avoid social situations. Both eating and social interaction are basic human needs. You don't have to sacrifice one for another. Also, WoW is cool, but it is not social interaction.

7) Your diet should help your performance, not hurt it. "I can't lift heavy because I am on a diet" is BS. You can't lift heavy because your diet sucks.

8) You should be willing to feed a young child with what you eat.

9) Ideally, everything you put in your mouth should be able to be "hunted" or "gathered" (and no, going to McDonalds is not hunting down a Mac and going to 7-11 is not gathering a Slurpee).

10) At least 80%* of the food you eat should go bad within a week.

* -- These are guesses subject to additional analysis.

Why Kettlebells Rule!

2011-01-07T04:21:00.000-08:00

1) They are portable: If you have kettlebells, you can get your workout wherever you are going to be. That is so valuable if you take your fitness seriously. For most people it is not the quality of the workouts, but the consistency.

2) They are athletic: Look at people using kettlebells. Look at people on a treadmill. What looks more athletic?

3) Adjustable leverage: Because the kettlebell is asymetrical, you can change the leverage of the kettlebell by changing how you grip it. Take presses: Grip it by the bell (waiter's press), grip it by the handle (bottoms up press). They all work your body different, JUST LIKE OBJECTS IN REAL LIFE. Try doing that with a barbell or dumbbell.

4) Enable High Rep Ballistics: Because the kettlebell can be swung between the legs comfortably, you can do high reps ballistics with them. If you are interested in fat loss, this is critical. Swings, snatches, and cleans can be done for hundreds of reps. HIIT, and the fat loss and cardiovascular conditioning that comes with them, are so much better with kettlebells.

5) Cheap: Kettlebells, when you compare them long term with a treadmill or your gym membership, are a ridiculous bargain. For the average female, for $400-$500, you can get enough kettlebells to last you for the rest of your life. That's right, no other investment in your fitness. That does not even buy you 1 year of a gym membership. Don't even think of getting a treadmill for that little. For a home, a treadmill will easily cost between $2000 and $4000.

6) Versatility: You want to burn fat, get stronger, build muscle, and improve joint mobility. Kettlebell deliver on all counts, often in the same workout. In my kettlebell boot camps and workshops, all of these are covered.

7) Durable: Kettlebells last forever. No moving parts.

8) Extensible: Kettlebells workouts can be simple or as complex as you want them to be. Need a simple workout, the Enter the Kettlebell Program Minimum is where it at. Want to build muscle, I recommend Return of the Kettlebell. Fat loss, Kettlebell Burn will do the trick. Whatever you need is whatever you get.

In summary, if you have resolved to get in shape in 2011, take the leap and dive into kettlebell training.

Some workouts that I have done....

2011-01-02T05:17:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, I have been travelling in the UAE and India since 12/23. I have had no fitness equipment available in that time.

Here are some of the workouts that I have done.
* 10-9-8..-2-1 Burpees and Situps for time. (PER rating: 6)

* 5 sets of (20 squats/20 pushups). (PER rating: 5)

* Suitcase Jerks, these were actually jerks done with my 45+ lb suitcase, 20-35 reps/set) (PER rating: 3, but I like the movement for the shoulders)

==> You see luggage, I see added resistance for jerks, TGUs, squats, and cleans.

* TGUs with my backpack (PER rating: 3, but they did open up the shoulders). Don't be afraid to be creative.

==> You see a snorkel. I see $1 altitude training.

* 10 x 20 Pushups and Lunges (PER rating: 6)

* 10 x 7 Pullup hanging off of the stairwell, 1 minute rest between sets (PER rating: 7, there were much harder than regular pullups because my fingers could not get around the bar. Also, the surface was marble-like, stiff and slippery).

==> You see a stairwell, I see a pullup bar!

* 10 squats, 10 pushup, 10 situps for 10 rounds (PER rating: 7)

* 25 snatch balances each arm (PER rating: 6)

* 10 x 10 suitcase squats, 5 x 5 box pistols, 5 x 20 suitcase jerks, 10 x 5 dragon walks (PER rating: 8, really tried to pick up the pace. And the dragon walks really open up the IT band and hips abductors).

* Three mile walks (PER rating: 2, cake but I didn't want to die while running on the streets.)

* Yoga poses: Samson, Pigeon, Buddha, Happy Baby, Downward Dog (PER rating 9: I suck at these, but they help with posture and squat depth.)

In retrospect I wish I did more sprinting and jumping. Oh well. My diet was good over this holiday, not great.

Will be home in 2 days. See everyone on Thursday.

Washington Post

2011-01-02T05:14:00.000-08:00

I got a small mention in the Washington Post. It is a small mention in a big paper: http://tinyurl.com/wp-fse-article

Lazy article.....Top 15 things I have notice about Kerala, India...

2010-12-31T08:10:00.000-08:00

I am going to take a page out of Rick Reilly's book, and just be a lazy writer. As many of you know, I have been in India since Christmas, and here are some things that I have noticed, in five minutes or less:

* We have driven around here a lot, and I have only seen 1 commercial gym.

* There are less 300lb people here. I am not talking about the actual weight as much as there are less people who seem to have said "fuck it" as far as their health goes.

* That being said, there are less really buff people here as well. Almost like a State of Mediocre.

* These people here eat sugar and rice like they are in a contract year. Their tea tastes like candy. And they eat all the time. They find excuses to eat.

* Driving in India is crazy. This could be a blog post in and of itself. I don't even like walking around the streets. If you like personal space, you won't have it here.

* Women spend a lot of money on jewelry here.

* Women's saris can be pretty ornate, they are like a status symbol.

* The exchange rate is really attractive here. About 45 rupees to 1 USD. Here are the cost of some item. Junk food is really cheap. Almonds are really expensive. Gold is very expensive. Electronics are expensive. Clothing is really cheap. Cable TV and BB Internet and ridiculously cheap.

* Working out without equipment is really interesting. Looking forward to my weight in when I get home.

* I haven't had good quail ever till I came on this trip. Here is how you do it: Fry it crispy.

* Forgot my fish capsules, eating a lot of fish.

* There seems to be no breakfast food. All meals look about the same.

* There are no diet sodas in India. Even though it is not Paleo, the first thing I am getting when I get back is a Diet Coke.

* Not as many cows running around as I remember.

* The kids nowadays learn English early. What does that mean. Probably more outsourcing. Earlier English skills combined with Satellite TV means any barriers to outsourcing are much less.

* There are 20 Million Indians that live in other countries. What they do is go to other countries where they can make more money like the UAE, Saudia Arabia, US, and the UK and send some money back to India. Big influx of cash and India is thriving.

* Indians are eating a lot less rice. My dad's family were big rice farmers and they are making less of it.

* They are, however, driving more cars, scooters, motorcycles, and trucks. More rubber. My dad's family is making more rubber. The real stuff from trees. Good thing, if you have a flat tire on a Kerala road, you can probably kiss your ass goodbye.

Kettlebell Workshops

2010-12-31T00:00:00.000-08:00

I will be hosting two Introductory Kettlebell Workshops in the month of January;

* Saturday, Jan 8th @ 10:30 AM (To register)
* Saturday, Jan 15th @ 10:30 AM (To register)
* Saturday, Jan 29th @ Core and Joint Mobility Workshop

==> All workshops will be at Xtreme Athletix, 1505 W Cypress St., Tampa, FL 33606

Trip to India....

2010-12-22T16:10:00.000-08:00

I will be out of the country for 13 days. I am not bringing any kettlebells with me, it is just not worth the hassle to bring them. Here is how I am going to manage while I am gone.

1) First and foremost is managing diet. I will be trying to stay Paleo, which to me is leading every meal with meats and proteins. This staves off hunger.

2) Walk about 2 miles a day. This should be easy.

3) Fish oil supplements. This should help cravings for fats.

4) Need to research any customs regulations on spices. We import a lot of spices from India. Wonder how good the 'Real McCoy' is going to be. I have a feeling just like oranges, the best stuff is exported.

5) The Turkish Get Up is not limited to kettlebells. I will be doing the TGU with a lot of random objects.

6) Will try to limit naan bread and biryani rice.

7) I am bringing a Yoga DVD. Side note: I wonder if people that do Bikram in India are as annoying and anal retentive as the ones in the US.

8) I am hoping to find a barbell.

9) Mobility drills with a broom stick.

10) Pistols and One-legged planks.

I weigh about 176, hoping to come home at no higher than 172.

Then I will kick everyone's ass in my classes on 1/6.

Not sure how often I am going to be able to track progress. But I have a new video camera and will post updates as soon as I am able.

Enjoy your holidays and your new year!

January Double Snatch Challenge

2010-12-15T22:36:00.000-08:00

Here was today's workout. Enter The Kettlebell-Variety Day 1 (aka, do whatever you feel like doing).

Barbell Cleans:
65, 85, 105, 125 x 2 x 1
145, 165, 185 (PR) x 1
==> Hey boys and girls, I can finally clean more than my bodyweight.

Overhead Squats (Snatch Start):
85 x 5; 105 x 4 x 5 (intended to go heavier, but not feeling it)

Double Snatches:
AMAP for 10:00 - I did top of the minute for 2x10+8x8 plus another 3 in the last 9 seconds for a total of 87. Not too bad, not great. A "never tried before" PR.

Dimel Deadlifts: 205 x 2 x 20 (I love these)

****************** Challenge Update *******************

Last year around this time, Jack Reape offered up the Jack Reape Deadlift Challenge.

The rules of the challenge were simple:
* Load up a bar to 315 lbs and
* Do as many deadlifts as you can in 30 minutes.

I got 154, and it was probably one of the workouts that I remember most for a long time. I was sweating bullets for a long time after and my T-levels were sky high for a couple of days. The double snatches had a similar feel.

Well, I am offering up a similar challenge:

The Faizal S. Enu Double Snatch Challenge

* Find two equally sized kettlebells,
* Snatch them as many times as you can in 15 minutes,
* Send your name/alias, bell sized used, and number of reps completed.
* The challenge must be completed during the month of January.

==> I want to make this event more inclusive, so I am not forcing a bell size. You want to snatch two 16s because you are a smaller guy or just not comfortable with 2 24kg bells. You feel two 24s are too light, snatch heavier. Lady comrades, I would like to see you compete as well. 8kg, 12kg, etc. Doesn't matter. Grab the bells by the horns and put up a number.

The challenge is not about how you do against everyone else. It is about how you do against your previous best and the effort you put in. Also, you will self-discovery a snatch tip or two.

WHO'S WITH ME?

KFC Outrage about Gift Cerificate...

2010-12-14T20:08:00.000-08:00

Supposedly health experts in Australia are mad because KFC is offering gift certificates.

As far as I am concerned, this is absurd. Not that KFC is offering gift certificates, but that fact that health "experts" are outraged.

First off, it is a gift certificate. It is not like they are giving a discount for stuff that is bad for you. Or that the goverment is giving subsidies to make it cheaper. It is a gift certificate. It is no different than giving cash.

Also, KFC has one responsibility when it comes down to it. And it is not to the long term health of the general public They have a fiduciary responsibility to increase shareholder equity, they seem to be doing it. Health experts have a responsibility to make us healthier. They are failing miserably. Just look at the obesity numbers. I am not relying on health experts (not good at it) or KFC (why do they care?) to be healthier.

I guess personal accountability is dead.

By the way, if you think the gift certificates you receive are bad for you, send them to this address in protest.

Faizal S. Enu
2109 Bayshore Blvd., Unit 210
Tampa, FL 33606

Top 10 non-paleo foods.

2010-12-14T19:31:00.001-08:00

I have been doing really well with this Paleo diet.

In the book is says that you can get 95% of the results with being 80% compliant. Sounds good to me. Here are my top 10 non-paleo foods.

1. Beer - Sorry, not giving this one up. And a NorCal margarite does not do it for me. The Hellfire Margarita at Tampa Bay Brewing Company is close.

2. Fried Chicken of all kinds: Especially chicken wings. I used to be able to eat 50 in one sitting. This is not so far on the scale, so I have wings once a week. Tampa Bay Brewing Company has a wing special every Tuesday night. (Are you starting to see a pattern).

3. Chicken Parmasean sandwich: Unfortunately, I have to avoid this one. I love sandwiches. Just the chicken, sauce, and cheese will not suffice. Which brings us to...

4. Classic Chicken Sandwich: Simply the best fast food EVER. Now they are on sale BOGO. Now for the bad part, here is the nutritional information.

5. Bagels: With peanut butter, or flavored cream cheese, or even just butter. Unfortunately, there are not high enough on the "Orgasmic Scale" (phrase from my Paleo Guru Charlie @ Xtreme Athletix) to even be considered.

6. Peanuts and Peanut Butter: Still eat them, but more cashews and almonds. Peanuts are much cheaper, but about a factor of 4 to 6.

7. Scones: My favorite thing to have with coffee.

8. Hot Dogs: Used to have one once a week at the Ybor City Saturday Market. Now strictly off limits. If you say "Just don't have them with the bun." you don't know what a hot dog is about.

9. Protein Shakes: Still have one when I don't have access to good animal protein, but it is not ideal.

10. Protein Bars: These are pretty much a waste of money. They are usually made from the cheapest protein available. Good Eats did a good episode about the kind of protein in them.

Some Random Sports Thoughts....

2010-12-14T08:31:00.000-08:00

I decided to write about the first 10 topics that came to mind. Football coaches and sports etiquette seem to be hot topics of the day.

1. Tashard Choice asking Michael Vick to autograph a glove after the game

My only comment to this: Who cares! The game is over. Eagles won, Cowboys lost. Shake hands and go home. Just because some fans can't get over it doesn't mean Choice can't. Ridiculous. Also, they know each other, Choice was at Georgia Tech when Vick was playing for the Falcons.

2. On Derek Anderson smiling during losing effort on Monday Night football

What do you expect him to do? He is on the sideline, there is nothing that he can do to help the team. It wasn't like he was ROTFLHAO. It was a smile.

As anyone who has every coached a sport knows, sometime you need to get the athlete to RELAX. Sometimes telling them to smile helps. I have used that in coaching soccer, bowling, and even with the kettlebells.

Anderson's rant at the reporter was deserved. I mean, do you remember every facial express that you have on the field. I bet I know what Duece Lutui said to him: "I wonder what would happen if we put Matt Leinart in there?" or "Hey, why don't you smile right now, and some jock-sniffing reporter is going to make a big deal out of it in the post game press conference."

3. The New England Patriots killing the NY Jets and Chicago Bears.

Impressive, but they are only one game. For some reason, it seems that when you destroy a team in the regular season, it can come back to haunt you in the post-season. We will see. By the way, this is not a very talented Patriots team. Belicheck's best coaching job EVER!

4. Why is no one giving any props to the 11-2 Atlanta Falcons. They are a complete team, well-coached, and have a great QB in Matt Ryan. They are just completely under the radar, and I don't get it.

5. Jason Garrett's job with the Dallas Cowboys.

I will say that Dallas (my team) is playing much better. When I watched them play under Wade Phillips, they didn't look like they were slacking as much as they were unprepared. They also seemed to make a lot of mental mistakes. When that happens, the coach HAS TO GO. Jason Garrett, who I think sucked as offensive coordinator, is now 3-2, with the two losses coming to quality teams with a back up QB Jon Kitna. I think if he goes at least 5-3 he will be Head Coach, if not they will look for someone else, and they will probably go the "Deserving Coordinator" route (like Mike Smith, Raheem Morris, Mike Tomlin, Tony Sparano, Rex Ryan) rather than the "Recycled Head Coach" one (Cowher, Gruden, etc.).

6. Jon Gruden needs to stay on Monday Night Football.

Enough said.

7. Al Golden selected as University of Miami Head Coach

Good choice. If you can win and recruit at Temple, you can do it anywhere. Golden was successful because they were starting to keep players from Eastern PA and New Jersey. Miami has a much bigger recruiting haul. If they can recruit there, they will win. There are a couple of things that he will have to fight against:

A) Some players from Miami want to get out of there. Miami was hit very hard by the recession.

B) With Florida Atlantic and Florida International in the mix, those that want to stay in Miami now have more options. Normally you can say that Miami should get whomever they want. But the reality is that all schools get on TV and all schools are looked at by the NFL, so there is more parity in programs nowadays. A player will choose a school based on playing prospects and the system and not just the school.

8. Will Muschamp being named Head Coach at Florida.

Good for him, but he wouldn't have been my first choice, or second,.....or third. More like seventh. I guess Urban Meyer couldn't handle the stress of losing. He should smile more like Derek Anderson.

9. Josh McDaniels fired as Head Coach of the Denver Broncos.

Saw it coming. A head coach needs to be an "Alpha Male", but also needs to work with other Alpha Males (Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall). He couldn't. When you demand to be THE Alpha, you make everyone else a Beta - and a whole teams of Betas is going to lose. He is young, and will get another chance. I do wonder what this means for Tim Tebow however, as a new coach's system may not suit his skill set.

10. Why I love the BCS!

A. The two best teams have a chance to play each other.
B. The regular season matters.
C. New Year's Day is my favorite sports day ever.
D. By playing one playoff game instead of three, future NFL star don't risk getting injury and losing MILLIONS OF DOLLARS to play a game that they don't have a financial stake in.
E. It has forced teams to bump up their non-league schedules a tad.
F. The Conference Championships matter.
G. The other bowl games matter more. We get to see "bigger picture" of which conferences are better.
H. Probably doesn't belong here, but I think it is bullshit that Temple (8-4) was not invited to a bowl game.

You are probably wondering why I didn't write about Sal Alosi, the NY Jets Strength and Conditioning Coach who tripped a Dolphin Nolan Carroll on the sideline. That is because:
* I have no idea what he was thinking (must have held his breath on too many squats), and
* I don't know what a suitable punishment is.

$1 Fitness Game Changer

2010-12-01T11:12:00.000-08:00

Today's AM Workout was a very simple one:

13 Rounds of:
* Dance Dance Revolution (Expert Speed)
* KB Swings: 32kg x 20 (in this case the 20 swings were the active recovery for DDR)

Pretty pedestrian workout under normal conditions. The game changer: Something I picked up from the Dollar General kid section for only a dollar.

Thats right kids, a snorkel. Not sure if you can see it in the picture, but I stuffed part of a paper towel in the bottom section. Just to make it that much harder.

I can tell you this, not only is the workout harder, but the fat burning effects are increased dramatically. The heart rate goes up because you are increase the lactic acid being made in the absence of oxygen, similar to training at altitude. This is similar to the Tabatas, but instead of compressing the rest, you are restricting the airflow. I can definitely feeling the EPOC effects hours after the workout.

Is this something you should do all the time? No. Is it something you can use? Most likely, especially in the following two circumstances:

* You don't have a heavy enough bell, now you will get similar effects from a lighter bell.

* You have an injury. May you can't do snatches, but you can do swings and make them harder.

Again, it costs $1, and I have always said no unitaskers (Bosu's, PVC pipe, treadmills, etc.) in a home gym. If you ever need to keep your head slightly underwater while swimming, there you go. So essentially, this game changer is free. You may even already have it.

Check it out and tell me what you think.

Sports stuff....just opinions....

2010-11-26T19:14:00.000-08:00

1) The Dallas Cowboys are playing harder, with more heart, and are better prepared since the coaching change. They gave one away against the Saints, and I feel bad for Roy Williams.

2) If anyone else but Payton Manning threw a pick when his team:
* Needs a field goal to tie and
* The team is already in field goal range
==> That QB would have been absolutely skewered in the media. Just saying!

3) The Miami Heat are nowhere near the team that the Showtime Lakers were.

4) Boise State and TCU are more deserving of a national title game than one-loss Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and LSU. If Auburn loses to South Carolina in the SEC championship. Either Boise St. or TCU should be in the title game EVEN THOUGH I think Auburn is better than both teams. Non-BCS teams have come up big in the past (Boise St. over Oklahoma, Utah over Alabama, Utah over Pitt).

5) Boise St. would beat Wisconsin by 3 touchdowns if they play. I agree with Pat Hill. Boise St. also has more NFL ready players on their roster.

Running Paleo Thanksgiving blog...

2010-11-24T06:47:00.000-08:00

I am attempting to be Paleo for Thanksgiving, with the expectation of not being 100% successful. To document this effort, I am going to keep a running blog.

Tuesday morning, Novemeber 23:
4:00 AM: Wake up and call cab to make 6:20 AM flight
* Ate some leftover chicken and green beans

5:45 AM: After making it through security (no pat down, and I even used baby powder down there), I got a cappuccino.

6:50 AM: Had a diet coke and almonds on the plain (slight fail, artificial sweetener)

10:00 AM: Got some broccoli slaw from Cafe Intermezzo/ATL airport to go, at it on the flight, perfect. Got water to go with it.

1:00 PM: Lunch with Jennifer at the All-American Pub in Narberth. I got the Oyster Caesar salad and part of my girlfriends chicken and cranberry compote sandwich/no bread. Two pints of beers.

2:00-4:30 PM: Play with my nephews. Threw them around for a little bit, then tossed the football with them. Physical activity win. My nephew is nine, and has a spiral and body part accuracy from 30 yards. Impressive.

5:25 PM: Had some almonds and water

7:45 PM: Mom brought some Indian food from Edison, NJ (Little India). Had some curried goat, chicken tikka, and some different style of Indian bread (more veggies in it, but still some bread).

9:45 PM: Had some almonds, in fact a lot of them.

10:15 PM: Bed

Grade: B+ - Not feeling hungry at all.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Wednesday, November 24:

8:45 AM: Wake up. Wow, slept great. Considering I had 45 minutes of sleep then night before, not surprised. Not even hungry, that is surprising. Started the day with a cup of coffee.

10:15 AM: 4 egg omelette with chicken tikka, jalapenos, and onions. Awesome. The one thing about Paleo is that since you will be cooking more, keep the recipes simple. Eggs with leftovers - does not get much better than that.

10:30-11:15 AM: Played outside with the nephews.

11:30 AM: My sister got two GoFit kettlebells about 11 months ago. She said this weekend she wanted me to teach her some exercises. It was in her office and found the bell. It was still in the box . I watched the DVD that came with it and did some of the exercise in the DVD.

1:30 PM: Fruit chew bar and an apple. Fruit chews are not fruits, don't even go there.

2:30-3:30 PM: Helped my nephew, 4, with his speech therapy. The therapist was tough. Different learning environment in the Philly suburbs.

3:30-4:30 PM: Played football and wresting with my nephew.

7:15 PM: Dinner with the entire family. Shrimp curry, chicken tikka, butter chicken, and a small poratta, and peas.

10:15 PM: About 1 bag of microwave popcorn and more almonds.

Grade: B-

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thanksgiving Day, November 25: Thanksgiving must have mean "Cheat like you wouldn't believe on your diet" in Native American

8:15 AM: Woke up, not hungry at all. Slept great.

9:15 AM: Did last minute Thanksgiving shopping, including the bird. Picked up the following cheat items:
* Cranberry scone
* Peppermint Mocha
* Pumpkin Cream Cheese muffin
* Sesame bagel with scallion cream cheese.

10:30 AM: Started eating, but still not hungry. Only ate about 1/4 of the scone and 1/2 of the bagel. Amazing how little you eat when your hormones are somewhat adjusted. Remember my words on cheating: Cheat on quality or quantity, but not both. I am cheating on quality during the day, quantity during the main meal.

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM: Playing wresting with my nephew. I even took some "bumps" for him. He really liked that. He felt like he was giving me an armdrag.

1:15 PM: Taught my dad how to deadlift with a 25lb bell. He is a natural.

2:00 PM - 2:30 PM: Has two glasses of red wine, some cheese with a little bread, and some veggies and Buffalo hummus. Awesome. Tuesday I went to a cheese shop and asked "What is the stinkiest cheese you got?" and got 1/4 lb of it. I gave some to my four y/o nephew, and after he just said "eeeeeeeeeeew" and spit it out.

4:15 PM: Thanksgiving dinner: Turkey (white and dark meat) and Gravy, Green Beans, Acorn Squash, Carrots, Peas, Red Cabbage. Heaping plateful. Strangely, not hungry at all afterwards. No mashed potatoes or stuffing, or corn. Very Paleo. Quantity or Quality, you pick.

7:00 PM: Small slice of apple pie and 1T of vanilla ice cream

8:00 PM: Some Wasabi almonds. Gave one to my 4 year old nephew. He immediate ran to the sink, doused mouth with water and said "Too hot, almond!"

10:15 PM: Was a little hungry. Jumped off the paleo bandwagon with some more hummus, some fancy cheese, and 1/2 a scone.

Grade: B-

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Friday, November 26:

8:15 AM: Woke up, felt great. Not hungry at all. For the most part, felt lean even though I think I am holding a little water. This may be TMI, but I took a world-class dump this morning.

8:45 AM: Coffee and some green peppers.

11:00 AM: Some porotta (Indian bread), hummus and some grapes.

1:00 PM: Some homemade turkey soup (thanks Mom), awesome as usual.

3:00 - 4:45 PM: We went to the Boyd's department store to do some clothes shopping for my dad. Too rich for my wallet. Next door to there is DiBruno market, which has all types of high-end food. We picked up some cheese and got bread. At this place I again asked for the stinkiest cheese. This one smelled like ammonia, but tasted damn good.

After that we went to Tony Jr's for a cheesesteak. My nephew Pierce really wanted to go. I got the Steak and Greens (broccoli rabe), and my nephew got the Pizza Steak. Mine was awesome, and way better than Pat's or Geno's. Only at 1/4 of it. Not hungry.

5:15-5:45 PM: I decided to get a workout in, and my sister only has a 25lb and 10lb kettlebell. Here is the workout that I did:
Kettlebell 100s
* 100 swings: 25lb x 20L/20R/15L/15R/15L/15R
* 100 squats: 25lb x 20/15/15/15/18/17
* 100 snatches: 25lb x 20L/20R/15L/15R/15L/15R
* 100 MPs: 35lb x 20L/20R/15L/15R/15L/15R
* 100 Renegade Lunges: 25lb x 5 x 10L/10R
* 100 Cleans: 25lb x 20L/20R/10L/10R/10L/10R/10L/10R
* 100 Pushups: 10 x 10
* 100 Single Leg Rows: 35lb x 20L/20R//10L/10R/10L/10R/10L/10R
* 100 Single Leg Deadlifts: 25lb x 20L/20R/10L/10R/10L/10R/10L/10R

==> Great workout? No. To be honest, this is a little girl's workout. But it was a workout. I did improvise. Tried to work as fast as possible. I am going to enjoy dinner.

7:15 PM: Eating some Thai food, I am getting seafood, gotta increase those Omega 3s. Really killed it. Thai food is really expensive here, so I made sure that nothing went to waste. No rice though.

8:30 PM: I did have 1/2 a cupcake, since it was my niece's 2nd birthday.

Grade: A-, really stayed with it and made good choices while still "fitting in." The amazing thing is how hungry you DON'T FEEL. Managing hormones is a good thing.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Saturday, November 27:

8:00 AM: Woke up after a solid eight hours.

8:30 AM: Coffee only....

9:45 AM: Great breakfast at Little Bills diner. Scrapple and eggs, and had a little of my girlfriend's omelet.

10:30 AM - 11:45 AM: Walked the streets of Philadelphia. Went to Reading Terminal Market. Crazily, not even the littlest bit hungry. Did pick up some Amish pretzels. I did not eat any, but we did take some home.

1:00 - 3:00 PM: Had some of my mom's Turkey soup. It is more awesome the second day. Also put some laundry in while we were waiting to go to the airport. I don't know why some people make a big deal about laundry. 15 minutes of effort, TOPS. This is what laundry places do: Everything in cold, whatever happens happens. It is not hard guys. And glad the laundry is done.

2:30 PM: Did some more flips with my nephew. I also let him flip me. I have some FB pics of this. Really a lot of fun.

5:30 PM: Picked up some Chick-Fil-A at the airport food court. I got the nuggets/12pack.

7:30 PM: Finally hungry enough to eat the nuggets. Also had a diet coke. Not Paleo, but still a good choice.

9:00 PM: Got luggage and getting a cab home. What are the odds of this. We had the same cab driver at 4:30 AM on Tuesday morning as we did at 9:00 PM Saturday night. What are the odds of that.

10:00 PM - 12:30 AM: We went out for some drinks. Had about 4 beers, and resisted the urge to eat anything. On a traditional diet, it is not the alcohol that kills you, it is the stuff you eat when you are drunk and starving that kills you. Things that I have eating while drunk:
* 13 Dunkin Donuts
* 8 Pieces of fried chicken
* 14 slices of pizza
* 50 chicken wings (OK, so I have done that sober too, I love chicken wings)
* 3 slices of pizza, 2 tamales, and a brisket sandwich
* Tuna Suprise at Hot Truck

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sunday, November 28:

9:15 AM: Woke up. Weigh in 178. Ohhhh, I gained a whole lb. Will lose it by tomorrow.

11:10 AM: I think I am going to do an ETK style program, with a special focus on coniditioning and thoracic mobility for variety days.

11:30 AM: Brunch at Gaspar's. Strict Paleo starts today! Stayed Paleo, except there is way too much food here at the buffet. Next time going ala carte.

Spent the rest of the day studying for my CompTIA/A+ certification. Aced it!

10 rules for keeping on track over Thanksgiving....

2010-11-22T20:34:00.000-08:00

I am taking this week to visit my family at my sister's house in Philadelphia. I am really looking forward to it. I haven't seen my parents since February, and my sisters, nephews, and nieces in a year. It is going to be fun. But my family likes to eat and Philadelphia is one of the best places for good food.

1. Get 15 minutes of physical activity per day.

2. Stay Paleo, the Pilgrims probably did (Meat, Nuts, Seeds, Vegetables, and Fruits). My parents are picking up Indian food from Edison, so the first couple of days should be easy. Just need to avoid the desserts.

3. Mashed potatoes are not a vegetable, even if they are sweet potatoes.

4. Play some Dance Dance Revolution (my blog, my rules) or do some other form of "exergaming."

5. If you are traveling, see if you can find a friend that needs a workout partner. These workouts are always fun.

6. If you fall of the wagon for one meal, or one day -- get back on.

7. If you are going to indulge, enjoy it. My nephew wants to go to Tony Luke's. I hope it is better than Pat's or Geno's. Also, make it about more than the food. If someone takes me to Morimoto's, that would be devine.

8. Even if it is cold, get outside. The Sun is good for you.

9. Do not use alcohol to either stay warm or because you are thirsty.

10. If you gain some weight, don't sweat it. Most of it is water.

Training Update, and what are people thinking....

2010-11-20T17:04:00.001-08:00

1) I have one workout left of my 12 week foray with RtK. Gained 6lbs after week 10, but after doing Paleo I lost 3 lbs in a week and a half. I am still hitting PRs in the workouts, so all it good. Here are some things about RtK
- If you are not getting a "conditioning effect" you are not working heavy or fast enough
- You should feel like your metabolism is on fire.
- If you goal is not MASS, pick another program
- Learn how to do Jerks correctly. I have seen some really shitty jerk technique from people that should know better. The grip, the hips, the ankles, the clean, the dip. Get it right.

2) Variety work on RtK. You can do some, but I would keep the intense workouts to a minimum. I pretty much stayed with:
* DDR/Swings - intense, but not in a strength way
* MaxVO2 snatches - 20kg bell/8 reps per set 20-30 minutes
* Pullups/DDR
* TGU - 24kg
* Barbell squats and good mornings (these are weak)

3) One thing I have noticed, the reason there are so many shitty fitness products out there is because the general public has so many shitty misconceptions about diet and exercise. It is the public's fault, industry is just meeting a need.

4) Most women tend to lift too light. I have picked up a few female clients that have kettlebells, but they are in the 10 and 15lb varieties. For most of these women, what a waste. Most of these women can work with a 26lb bells, which means they will burn almost 70% more calories with an appropriate bell. Not that I am pressured to make someone work with a heavier bell, but you don't use a light bell to learn technique, sorry Jillian, Ryan, and Kate.

5) Having been doing Paleo for a week and a half and talking about it, I have found people don't understand certain things:
* We are the only animal that drinks milk after weaning.
* Fruits and vegetables have a lot of fiber, but relative to whole grains have a LOT more trace minerals and vitamins.
* You can create glucose (blood sugar) from non-carbohydrate sources, i.e., proteins and fats.
* If you have gained 10lbs in the last year, you are not "all set" on diet.
* If you have gained over 15lb in the last year, you HAVE distorted eating patterns (i.e., you are eating for other reasons other than fueling the body)
* If your diet is not working for you, why are you loyal to it. People are more loyal to their dysfunctional diets than their religion or spouses.

6) A lot of people say "they will do whatever it takes to get results" but then they don't do anything. You know what gets results: ANYTHING. ANYTHING you do will result in SOMETHING. NOTHING will always yield nothing. What the fly are you waiting for. The results ALWAYS comes AFTER the efforts.

7) There are no perfect programs. If there were, we wouldn't have magazines, just 1 book about fitness. Also, gym teachers might actually be in shape. Even if there was a perfect program for you, you wouldn't know what it is (Principle of Individual Differences). Also, after you do it for a while, it is not perfect anymore (Overload Principle). Most people would be better off picking a program and doing it, rather than trying to modify programs to FIT them.

Here is what I have noticed. Experienced trainers PICK programs and execute them. Noobs waste effort bouncing between and/or optimizing programs. Think about it.

5) I need to do more movement training, esp hamstring and thoracic mobility.

Introductory Kettlebell Seminars -- South Tampa

2010-11-17T16:09:00.000-08:00

I am hosting Introductory Kettlebell Workshops on Dec 4th and Jan 8th. Enjoy your holidays, then get a head start on your New Year's Resolution.

One week on Paleo....insight

2010-11-17T15:47:00.000-08:00

This last week I took a 3 hour course on Paleo at Xtreme Athletix in South Tampa. I am not really looking for a diet per se, but a lot of my clients are. The Paleo/Primal/Caveman diet is becoming more popular and I wanted to get some first hand experience with it.

After 8 days here is what I have found:
* I am rarely hungry at all

* I fall asleep better at night (not "Tired and Wired")

* I see longer w/out waking up. In fact, I wake up before my alarm clock, and it feels like I have overslept. It is awesome.

* I have done more writing and my mind seems clearer.

* I am as strong. I have hitting all numbers in my RtK workouts.

* I am down one notch on my belt loop, and five lbs total. I really don't feel like buying clothes again.

* If you value your time, a seminar is more than worth the time it takes to really learn not just the HOW, but also the WHY. The WHY is important because if you don't understand, it is just this "unconventional" diet. If you have tried everything, but nothing works - the reason Paleo works where others don't is the WHY. Learn it.

===> Not everything can be hunky dory...
* Really hard to eat out on this diet. Really hard --- learn to cook and get some knife skills.

* Impossible to eat at the gas station. Plan ahead. I work out of my car, so this is critical for me.

* I crave a sandwich, not so much for the bread, but the "sandwich" is just a great idea. No silverwear or plates.

* All my pantry (dry goods) items are non-Paleo. Basically, Paleo food is stuff that rots.

* I am not giving up my weekend beer(s). Sorry. Non-Negotiable. I count that as part of my 15% non-compliance.

Again -- don't want to pass judgement too early. Every diet works initially. I don't want to be the douchebag that goes on diet for week and feel compelled to brag to his friends about it. Also, I don't want to act like there is only one diet in the world that work. If that was true, I wouldn't have a job and there wouldn't be so many fat people around.

One word of advice to those that are frustrated with diets and have tried everything:
TRY THIS - what do you have to lose.. If you have Type II Diabetes or any other auto-immune disease and nothing else works --- TRY IT.

If think Paleo is just low carb, read the book!

I will have an update on this soon.

Found this gem on YouTube....Bud Jeffries....

2010-11-12T06:13:00.000-08:00

Bud Jeffries is a performing strongman that has recently lost over 100lbs. He has a bunch of free tips on YouTube, just wanted to point you to them:

I met Bud at one of his seminars and he is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. Also, he is a great speaker if you get to hear him live or in his "strongerman.com" series.

Some Random Thoughts....

2010-11-11T14:35:00.000-08:00

1. Dallas Cowboys: Not sure what is up with them. They look like they are a college team. Funny thing is that is not that they are not trying, it just looks like they are unprepared in all three facets of the game. If that is the case, the coach has to go. And I am a Wade Phillips fan, only one losing season in 12 years of coaching.

2. Cam Newton/Auburn: Curious timing of the revelation of the allegations. But when you do a crime, you have to expect that. I have to believe if this info was leaked that Miss. State has to be sure of this.

3. Paleo Diet: I took a Paleo fundamentals class at Xtreme Athletix (CampTampa.com) and I will be following this diet for 21 days. Now a lot of you may be wondering why I am doing this, since I am already in decent shape:
a) This is a relative new diet that is very popular, but people don't understand it.
b) The logic behind it is for the most part fundamentally sound and evidence based.
c) There are a lot of my clients that would benefit from it, and I want to go through it so I am giving a first hand rather than a third hand perspective.
d) It looks at how you feel, how you perform, and how you look. It doesn't "chase weight loss" like some other boot camps, diets, and fitness shows.
==> I have lost weight in the past on low fat, low carb, Zone, and JEL diets. Most diets work. The quality of the diet is how it fits in with the rest of your life. I would be a jackass if I recommended it w/out testing it.

Stuff I have noticed so far:
a) I am not as hungry or as thirsty.
b) Most pantry/dry food items are NOT PALEO.
c) Thinking more clearly.

4. Circuits: Personal trainers - not everything needs to be a freakin' circuit. Circuits are great, I use them myself. They are great for conditioning. Not so great for strength and size. That is why Westside does not have a circuit training manual.

5. Dragon Door Kettlebells: I picked up over 750lbs of kettlebells for friends and clients about 3 weeks ago. These new bells rock. They improved the coating so it stays on better. A great bell. Even though it would have been worth a higher price, probably saved about $600 on shipping alone.

6. BCS: If Auburn and Oregon will out, they deserve to be in the title game. If one falters (both have rivalry games), the Boise State should get the nod. I know that TCU has the better body of work, but Boise State won last year's bowl game...head to head trumps all that other stuff.

7. Have gained about 7 lbs on this cycle of Return of the Kettlebell (RtK). I am on week 7 right now. All times are coming down (no sissy circuits of burpees, walking lunges, and pink band bicep curls). Work hard and eat aggressively if you have earned it with the following:
a) 100 snatches in 5 minutes with a 24kg bell
b) Clean and Press the kettlebell closest to 1/2 your bodyweight.
==> If you haven't done this, Enter the Kettlebell (EtK) IS your mass plan.

8. Bowling: After a very rough start after not bowling in the summer, I have finally got my timing down. 694 and 645 the last two weeks. I have found that kettlebells help with the physical part of bowling (explosive strength, joint mobility, and balance) but don't have anything to do with the skill of bowling.

9. Program Design: Some people are just negligent about program design. I got 3 e-mails this week about people wanting new programs. I asked what they were doing, and they said their training programs were given to them by certified trainers. I WAS SHOCKED BY THE LAZYNESS and NEGLIGENCE that these trainers showed. Unreal.

10. Product Reviews: If you are reviewing a DragonDoor publication, hold off on the review till you actually have put it into practice for 4-6 weeks. That way, otherwise your review is just an educated guess. You can use knowledge and research to make a bad recommendation (see all the fitness related stuff on Yahoo), so unless you have put it into practice, your review is useless at best.

Return of the Kettlebell Success

2010-11-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

Just complete week 6 of RtK. I love this program. After losing 1 lb in the first three weeks, I have gained 6 lbs in the last week. Even better than that, my performance has gone up significantly, especially in the Long Cycle. The biggest difference was really aggressive eating. When in doubt, eat. Pre- and post-workout are critical. If you do RtK right, your metabolism should be ON FIRE.

I have decreased my time in the medium day: 2 24kg x 5 x 2,4,6,8,10 from 28 minutes to ~24:30

I have decreased my time in the heavy day: 2 32kg x 5 x 2,4,6,8 from about 52 minutes to 41:15

I have already talked about some tips for the long cycle, but here are a couple more:
* Watch your breathing, you want to be full of air at the bottom of the clean and at the bottom of the jerk. I am guessing this won't be the same as GS, but you are doing sets from 2-10 instead of 40-70. Big difference.

* Don't fully externally rotate your shoulders at the top of the jerk. Harder to pack the shoulder and more strain on the back. I believe I got this tip indirectly from (Fireman) Tom Corrigan.

* Eye position: Look down on the horizon.

* When you are done with the heavy rung, get the light run on the next ladder at the point where you can finish it. This imcomplete recovery will help with density, and in turn, muscle size.

* The "second" dip should be crisp, and try to keep the heels down.

* Feel the catch at the bottom of the second dip.

* Get thoracic extension at the bottom of the clean. This helps with taming the clean and protects the back.

* Fire your hands into the corner of the handle. This improves your leverage and comfort.

As great as this long-cycle is, I would never do GS. Too hard. But the RtK program is awesome - simple and effective!

Intermediate Workshop

2010-11-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

Xtreme Athletix is hosting an Intermediate Kettlebell Workshop. If you want to take your kettlebell skills and conditioning to the next level, this workshop is for you!

See you there!

To register: http://www.meetup.com/BayshoreKettlebells/calendar/15350465/

Southern Florida HKC Certification

2010-10-28T19:30:00.001-07:00

My friend Dale Buchanan at Supreme Ultimate Fitness (Boca Raton, FL) is hosting an HKC (Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification) on Dec 4. If you are looking to get certified in Kettlebells, this is the place to go. Also, if your goal is to be an RKC, all funds used for this are applicable to the RKC ==> two certifications for the price of one.

Click the image below to get signed up!

NFL's crackdown on hits to the head and neck!

2010-10-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

I want to take the time to address a controversal topic that doesn't have anything direction to do with personal training. It is the increased enforcement of penalties and fines in the NFL on hits to the head and neck. Here are two basic tenets:

1) The NFL HAD to do something, you simply CANNOT have a sport where you have over five people per week being left with concussions or neck injuries. You just can't.

2) Just because a sport is phyiscal does not mean that you can take liberties with your opponent. Having rules that prevent you from taking cheap shots does not make the game any less manly, it makes it more of a sport. Take a cue from other sports, in boxing, can't hit someone in back of the head. Also, if someone is knocked down, the opponent goes to a neutral corner for a standing eight count. In soccer, you can't tackle someone from behind, the risk of career-ending achilles tendon and PCL injuries is too great. In baseball, you can't just throw at somebody's of head. These rules do not make their respective sport less manly in any way.

Now one thing that I do understand is the idea of having to "protect your turf", and these rules might change that. I was a soccer goalie is high school, college, and after college. As a goalie, the bigger part of the penalty box that you can control, the better off your team is. When you have a fifty-fifty ball with an opponent in the air, your opponent has a running start, you don't. You have to protect yourself. If I was in the air, I was going in with an both elbow and one knee up. I was protecting myself. That is OK. I was not taking a swing at someones head or trying to spear them in the face. What the NFL has to do tread that fine line between "not lighting up a defenseless player" and "giving receivers amnesty". I believe that it is not hard, as long as you protect heads and necks while still letting receivers get hit. It is not different than the penalties for rouging the passer/kicker, late hits, clipping, facemasks. These rules make football more of a sport, not less.

Now here are some suggestions that I have.
1) Not only should a violent hit to the head on a defenseless receiver be a fine and a penalty, the player should be ejected. This would stop it more than anything.

2) If a hit to the head is avoidable but not violent, the player should receive a penalty and a warning. After a second warning the player is ejected. If a player is reckless or careless, that is just as bad and being malicious.

I think a lot of headhunting has actually led to some bad tackling technique wise. Maybe if they learn to wrap up better and keep the head up, a lot of this will go away.

Look, it is a physical game, and players will get hurt even on a clean hit (see Romo, Tony). But any head and neck injuries that can be avoided, HAVE TO BE.

Half Off One Hour Fitness Consultation

2010-10-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

Looking for a personal training client or kettlebell club client that wants to take their fitness to the next level. 50% off 1 hour fitness consultation. I have never had anyone go through my consultation and not made significant changes in two week (5+ lbs of BF lost of 3+ lbs of muscle mass gained in two weeks).

If you are serious, reply here or send me a message!

Some recent workouts/New influences....

2010-10-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

Currently I am focusing on putting on some mass via Return of the Kettlebell (RtK), and it is going pretty well. I have an article pending on that, but I have also been assisting running the group class at Xtreme Athletix. It has been a lot of fun and a real learning experience. Always good to learn different styles of training. This has been more of "boot camp"/Met Con style of training with a lot of influences from gymnastics, Olympic lifting, and yoga - which are three areas where I have very little experience.

Here are some of the variety workouts that I have done - feel free to steal them:

Workout 1: I did this on a day that I did not have time to do my normal RtK Ballistics workout, so I did this instead and did the Ballistics workout the following day:
100 Swings
90 Squats
80 Snatches (40L/40R in any combination)
70 Windshield Wipers
60 Cleans
50 Walking Lunges steps
40 Military Presses (20L/20R any combination)
30 Pushups
20 V-ups
10 Deck Squats
==> I finished this workout with a 24kg in about 23:45. After the workout, I really didn't feel much, but I knew I was going to be sore (no in a good way). Good variety of movement and a good change of pace. Good sweat, but no EPOC. I wonder what would have happened if I used a 32kg.

Workout 2: Various High Octane Cardio intervals with DDR and kettlebell swings.
- 10 rounds of (DDR + Swings: 32kg x 30)
- 12 rounds of (DDR + snatches: 24kg x 10L/10R)
I really liked both of these. Agility, strength endurance, endurance, responding to visual stimuli, and grip training all in one. When you play the Expert songs, the snatches and swings are the recovery for DDR.

Workout 3: 2 1/2 minute workout: 100 32kg KB swings
==> I liked these, didn't love them. Quick and Boring! Felt like I could have gone all day.

Workout 4: Tabata swings: 40kg x 8 x 13 (:20 on/:10 off)
==> Great 4 minute workout, felt and elevated metabolism afterwards

Workout 5:
10 rounds of 10 snatches left/10 snatches right/10 goblet squats
Crush Pushups: 3 x 30 (ribs to forearms)
Front snatches: 10L/10R

Workout 6:
Press Ladders: 3 x 3,5,7 (3,5,7 gets you volume quicker, I like using it)
Metcon: On the 2:00
10 rounds of (10 2ft box jumps, 10 snatches left, 10 snatches right, 10 swings)
==> These are a lot of fun, really teaches glycolytic recovery.

Workout 7:
30-20-10 reps for time
Overhead Barbell Squats (got to work on Barbell Cleans)
Dips
Burpees
==> My Barbell cleans have gotten better, still only using 65 to 95 lbs. Overhead squats with a barbell really help my shoulders. Burpees, as an exercise, are overrated. Finished in 15:45 with 65lbs, then practiced cleans and OH squats with 95lbs.

Workout 8:
For N = 4 to 1 (for time)
200m run; 10*N swings; 10*N Goblet Squats; 10*N Crush Pushups
Next N
==> 21:11 with 32kg bell. The swings I did straight through, the squats in sets of 10, and the crush pushups were done in sets of 10-15. Good systemic response to this workout and hit the legs and upper body pretty good.

Kettlebell Run....Tampa Bay area

2010-10-07T10:33:00.000-07:00

The DragondDoor Russian Kettlebell Challenge certification (RKC cert) is coming to Orlando next weekend. I am making a kettlebell run down there from Tampa, and if there are any interested in getting some quality kettlebells, with no shipping charges, contact me faizalenu ( at } yahoo.com.

I prices for the bells can be found here:

http://www.dragondoor.com/kettlebellkettlebells/

Back on the RTK wagon....

2010-10-06T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I am back on the RTK bandwagon. For all those who are considering it, here are some helpful tips:
* If you are going to go in this direction, a "I don't want to gain any weight" attitude is not right for this program. Do something else that will better get you to those goals.

* Respect the systemic overload in this program. If you have other intense stuff you have to do, this program is not for you. If that is your decision, you won't hurt Pavel's feeling, I'm sure.

* Learn how to Jerk correctly.
1) On your cleans, get your hands through the bell. Grip the inside part of the hand, and drive the hands through on the clean.

2) Laterally rotate the shoulders in the rack. The actual Jerk will be more like a barbell and easier on the shoulders (thanks Matt S.)

3) Drop the hips fast, it is not a push press. Try to dip to a catch. Practice feeling the catch with light weight.

4) Get the hands back and head through (eyes facing down on horizon). If you miss on either of these, you will have a hard time locking out. If the hand go straight up, , your front delts take too much of the load. If you look up, the lower back does.

* After the top of your ladder, try to go right into the beginning of the next, even if you are tired. This will compress the workload.

* Some people on the forums seem to be TOO concerned with compressing the workout and use too light a weight. Don't do that.

2010-09-29T13:54:00.001-07:00

To register, contact Faizal at 813-951-7470 or faizalenu (_@_) yahoo.com

Kettlebell Workshops

2010-09-28T15:12:00.001-07:00

INTRODUCTORY KETTLEBELL WORKSHOP/Saturday Oct. 2 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

INTERMEDIATE KETTLEBELL WORKSHOP/Saturday Oct. 2 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Sacrifice.....or short term gratification....

2010-09-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

I just want to clarify something really quickly, I am not really big about thinking about fitness and wellness a sacrifice. I looked up the word, and it means:

Sacrifice (from a Middle English verb meaning "to make sacred", from Old French, from Latin sacrificium: sacr, "sacred" + facere, "to make") is commonly known as the practice of offering food, objects (typically valuables), or the lives of animals or people to the gods as an act of propitiation (i.e., appeasement of the Gods)...

I am not sure why this is, but the term sacrifice came up about 5 times this regarding either training and/or nutrition. I hear it occasionally in my practice, but more this week than ever.

A lot of times people will say something like "Is it worth the sacrifices I have to make in my diet and exercise to get skinny?". Also, a lot of people also ask, "How long is this going to take?....Really that long? Is it worth it?"

Well here is the problem with this thinking:
1) Diet and exercise is not really a sacrifice. Why? Because you are not appeasing anybody but yourself. No one else benefits from your health and fitness but you. Diet and exercise are something that you are SUPPOSED to do.

2) Generally when you are talking about sacrifice, you are giving up something that is good for you for the betterment of others. Being a couch potato and eating pizza are not going to appease whatever God you believe in. Also, no one (with the exception of your cardiologist or endocrinologist) benefits from this.

Now getting back to something more practical. When you are thinking about whether it is "worth it", you really can't think about today because:
1) You haven't put the work in yet, and more importantly,
2) You haven't experienced the benefits of your work yet and may not for some time.

But when we are talking about sacrifice, what we are really talking about is gratification:
* Junk food provides immediate gratification, but will harm you long term. In the short term, it may be amazing.
* Exercise and good nutritution bring very delayed gratification, which is realized gradually over the course of months if not years. It may even hurt short term.

So if you are asking the question about sacrifice, you are really asking about short-term vs. long-term gratification. Forward thinking vs. myopic thinking. NOW vs. LATER.

I will leave you with these thoughts:
* I have never, EVER met someone who is in shape, especially after being overweight for some time, say "You know, if I knew I was going to work this hard or it was going to take this long, I wouldn't have done it." Never heard that sentiment expressed.

==> I don't think Ronnie is wondering whether it was worth it or not.

* I have never met someone who was fat say "I am really glad I eat the majority of my meals at McDonald's, in hindsight that was a really bright decision."

I have run projects for many years, and after the successful completion, no one ever regrets the effort it takes. In fact, a year down the road they don't even remember. But boy a the beginning do we argue about "why does it take so long?" and "It is
going to cost how much?"

Really, giving this up is sacrifice?

Sacrifice!.....Give a me a break!

*

New Reviews....

2010-09-24T13:58:00.001-07:00

My clients are really killing these days. They are just really seeing the results. Whether they are looking to lose weight, put on size, get stronger, or just feel better ==> everyone is stepping up.

Here is a review from Peter Baker, who is someone I have been working with for a while. Peter was one of the first people to reach out to me about Kettlebell Instruction, and he killed it back then. Now Peter is juggling the bells that he used to snatch. He is double pressing bells he used to cheat press. Peter is a lot more muscular now, as noted by his over 100lb deadlift improvement. Here was Peter's original review:

Faizal's method of instruction was clear cut and very lucid. I have been kettlebelling for about two years now, and still learned a great deal from him. People in the Tampa area would do well to hire Mr. Enu (especially the yuppies living in his area--Bayshore). With his lucid style, clear explanations he earned his ten.

And here is the updated one:

Years ago when I met Faizal I didn't know that I could or that I would be doing the things I am doing now. I never thought that I would deadlift over 400lbs. I never thought I could strictly press 96lbs over my head, with an awkward leverage due to holding two kettlebells. I never thought I would be snatching, for reps, a 32kg kettlebell. I never thought I could snatch a kettlebell, with 15 seconds of rest between sets, for around 25 minutes. I also never thought I would be doing clean and jerks for reps with a pair of 32kg bells.

Back then, I couldn't press a 32kg bell for more than three reps. Forget a double press. Back then my deadlift was a hundred pounds less. Back then I was terrified to snatch a 32kg kettlebell. Differences between then and now are astounding. You readers, do the math.

And the ladies are into it also, here is a workshop review, from Stacey:

"Faizal, thanks so much. The Core and Joint Mobility Workshop was awesome and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in strengthening their core and improving flexibility and posture. I love working with kettlebells and I especially appreciate the detailed way you go about teaching each and every movement. As a personal trainer fairly new to the field I feel it's important to learn from the best instructors! I look forward to more workshops and classes!"

Here is another one from Brittany:

Since taking Faizals beginners kettlebell workshop my fitness has gone
nowhere but up. I've since taken his intermediate level workshop in
addition to private training sessions. Unlike traditional personal
training, Faizal just doesn't simply tell you to do something, he
explains the reasoning behind every correction and movement. This
gives you the tools to truly learn about kettlebells, rather than just
paying someone to walk you through a workout. As a member of the
military, the carryover from using kettlebells has been substantial.
It takes me a lot longer to feel fatigue while running, I am much
stronger and I have had positive changes in my physique. This will
help me do much better on my fitness exams. Kettlebell training with
Faizal has been the most productive training I have ever done! (and she has done a lot)

Brittany and her husband have both taken my workshops, became clients and recently cancelled their gym membership. Why? The only reason that matters....RESULTS, tangible, visible results.

If you are on the fence about kettlebell training, it works. There is no question, if you put in the work.

Contact me to schedule an initial consultation! faizalenu (at) yahoo.com or 813-951-7470.

Tampa-area kettlebell workshops

2010-09-21T21:35:00.000-07:00

10/02 -- Kettlebell Excellence Series: Introductory Kettlebell Workshop

10/09 -- Kettlebell Excellence Series: Intermediate Kettlebell Workshop

10/23 -- Kettlebell Excellence Series: Introductory Kettlebell Workshop

All workshops will be held at XtremeAthletix (1505 W Cypress St., Tampa, FL 33606) on Saturdays from 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM.

To register, go to http://www.xtremeathletix.com, then click on "Workshops & Events"

Bring a towel and water and flat-soled shoes!

Best way to program the Turkish get up....

2010-09-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

1) Teach someone how to do it correctly, without weight or with a shoe. This is critical. If this is not don't the Turkish Get Up becomes and American Roll Over.

2) Tell the to do Turkish Get Up 2x/week for 8 minutes at a time

3) Let them move up in weight when they are ready (they will know when they are ready)

==> I got someone who was barely able to do one unweighted to doing them with a 16 kg FLAWLESSLY with a 16kg) in about 1 month.

The TGU is self correcting, don't overcoach it.

Also, if they don't have kettlebells they can still practice at home.

South Tampa Kettlebell workshops!

2010-09-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

Upcoming Kettlebell Workshops in South Tampa:

09/18 -- Kettlebell Excellence Series: Core & Mobility Kettlebell Workshop

10/02 -- Kettlebell Excellence Series: Introductory Kettlebell Workshop

10/09 -- Kettlebell Excellence Series: Intermediate Kettlebell Workshop

10/23 -- Kettlebell Excellence Series: Introductory Kettlebell Workshop
10/30 -- Kettlebell Excellence Series: Core & Mobility Kettlebell Workshop
11/13 -- Kettlebell Excellence Series: Intermediate Kettlebell Workshop
12/04 -- Kettlebell Excellence Series: Introductory Kettlebell Workshop

All workshops will be held at XtremeAthletix (1505 W Cypress St., Tampa, FL 33606) on Saturdays from 9:30 - 11:30 AM.

Bring a towel and water and flat-soled shoes!

10 RKC certification tips....

2010-09-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

1) In the snatch test, keep the bell up in the air.

2) For men, if you are within 5 lbs of making weight to snatch a lower bell, make weight.

3) For one day you will be expected to carry your bell around with you. Don't look like an amateur and farmers walk it or rack walk it. Clean it, then roll it to your shoulder.

4) Come in in shape. If you consider 20 swings a hard work out, you are not in shape.

5) If you are already an HKC, don't be arrogant when you come to the RKC (I have seen this).

6) Learn the teaching drills during the weekend. Don't expect to teach people the snatch by saying "watch me". Learn the corrective drills. I would have failed another 3 people in my group because their corrective skills were not up to par. Also, learn to recognize for errors.

7) Come to the social events. It was embarrassing in San Jose to only have 16 people show up for dinner when it should have been over 50. This is part of your education too.

8) Know proper hand care prior to the cert. If you don't know, ask someone.

9) Don't sacrifice everything else you do for the snatch test. By doing this you demonstrate that you don't understand the certification and you don't understand balanced training.

10) Show up rested. That means go low volume, low intensity the week prior to the cert. That does not mean that rest for 10 days prior.

James Meerbot Snatch Test

2010-09-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

"I recently started Russian Kettlebell training with Faizal Enu and have seen UNREAL results. After 4 MONTHS of training three times a week I have LOST 47 POUNDS. I have seen dramatic changes in more than just my weight and ability to work with kettlebells, but I have also seen tremendous gains in fitness and athleticism. This comes most in handy with my Judo training. I am no longer completely spent after each Judo training session because my conditioning has shot up drastically from doing tons swings (no exageration - sometimes as many as 28 TONS of weight moved). Any one seriously training martial arts NEEDS to train this way. I simply DON'T GET TIRED anymore.

Heck, I even got my girlfriend, who has never done any physical training in her entire life, to come and see what's its all about. So far she is loving every minute of it. No matter what you fitness level is, you will love it. If you have tried other forms of training, and haven't found something that works for you, give this a shot - YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID.

If you are interested in getting better at sports or lopping off some fat (or both, like me) I HIGHLY RECOMMEND taking Bayshore Kettlebell's classes. You will not be disappointed and you will be learning from the best. I learn something new EVERY session. This is not some mindless boot camp, this is STRENGTH and CONDITIONING at it finest.

I recently passed the RKC Snatch Test (100 24kg snatches in under 5 minutes) in 4:40 on my first attempt. This is after only four months of training. If you have a goal, Faizal WILL get you there. Now I am actually looking to gain weight using double kettlebell drills. You will NEVER OUTGROW this style of training, and it can be suited to your needs and goals.

I now cannot imagine life without kettlebells!"

James Meerbot

Upcoming Kettlebell Workshops.....

2010-08-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

09/11 -- Kettlebell Excellence Series: Introductory Kettlebell Workshop
09/18 -- Kettlebell Excellence Series: Core & Mobility Kettlebell Workshop
10/02 -- Kettlebell Excellence Series: Introductory Kettlebell Workshop
10/09 -- Kettlebell Excellence Series: Intermediate Kettlebell Workshop
10/23 -- Kettlebell Excellence Series: Introductory Kettlebell Workshop
10/30 -- Kettlebell Excellence Series: Core & Mobility Kettlebell Workshop
11/13 -- Kettlebell Excellence Series: Intermediate Kettlebell Workshop
12/04 -- Kettlebell Excellence Series: Introductory Kettlebell Workshop

All Workshops run from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM

Questions: Call Faizal @ 813-951-7470

10 Fallacies of Logic when it Comes to Training Programs

2010-08-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

Read any fitness-related forum, and you will see the following fallacies of logic when it comes to program design. It won't be hard to find them either.

1) "I did my current program for 1 month and lost 6 lbs. Now I am not getting results, why do I suck so bad".

The fact of the matter is that the body changes to adapt to the changing demands placed upon it. In the first month, you made a change. Now you lost weight (or gained weight, whatever) to adapt. If you do the same thing, nothing needs to change. That is why your program HAS TO change. You are essentially a new person. You need to create that "overload." More weight, longer duration, less rest, more advanced exercises ==> something has to "overloaded" to force the change. If you are doing the same stuff in your boot camp, don't be surprised when nothing changes. A good boot camp has progression that keep you challenged. If you are still doing the same mind-numbing program on the treadmill....get real?

2) If I want to pass a test, I should train by taking the test over and over. That is the SAID Principle.

The SAID Principle is Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands. This principle is probably the most misunderstood in training. Lets take for example the RKC snatch test. There are a lot of ways to prepare for it, but what SAID is saying is that you get better at what you practice. For example, lets say you get good at swings (hip dominant movement), do you think you will get better at snatches (hip dominant movement)? Of course The mistake a lot of people make is that they practice the 100 snatches before they are ready to do 100 snatches. A lot of the snatches have poor form and they get into bad habits. Or they tear up their hands, and develop bad habits. And for every bad snatch, you have to do 10 good ones to correct the bad one.

Also, with kettlebell presses, a lot of people use different leverage presses and overload presses to develop different parts of the press. How come no one does that with swings. Let's say your goal was to press the 40kg bell. Let's say now you are pressing the 24kg. Would you just pick up the 40kg bell and try to press it?

THEN WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU DO THE SNATCH TEST ALL THE TIME IF YOU CAN'T DO IT. Why not CORRECT your weaknesses instead of INGRAINING them? No hip pop, how about double swings or dead snatches. Casting the bell? How about hang snatches? Jumping your snatches? How about some double snatches. Cutting off your snatches prior to vertical? How about some overhead walks. Building volume without technique is like building a house without a foundation.

I had two people schedule sessions with me to get them to their snatch test numbers. They wanted workout. First thing I did is what them snatch. I gave them corrective exercises. Both passed with flying colors in two weeks.

3) If I combine these programs, I will get the results for both.

This one is partly right, you will usually get the results of the program, but the bad ones. For example if you combine GtG deadlifts, and RoP, and VWC, you will probably get the CNS frying of deadlift, the overtraining of RoP and, the torn hands of VWC. Usually the people that ask this type of assanine question, will ask a similar question after after being on their program/deathmarch for 9 days.

Or you also get this. I am doing this crappy program, and I am not getting results. Can I add Crossfit to this. Now I am not hating on CrossFit, but most people would benefit more by fixing the crap in their programs rather than adding stuff to it.

4) What is the goal of your training?

I will be honest with you, if you have under 18 months of training under your belt, you probably don't need to ask this question. In most cases, a generic program like ETK/RoP or Westside Barbell will work best for you. The reason I am not all type-A on goal setting for newbies is that most newbies have general, rather than specific, conditioning needs. Because of this, a generic program will usually serve the needs very well and put the trainee in balance. Usually any attempts to get specific usually throw them out of balance.

Also, with most new trainees, they don't know what is possible and what isn't. They really only know their own bodies. How can they select a goal when they don't know what is possible. Since their "goals" are not going to affect how I train them, I don't ask.

5) I saw this program on TV, I want results like that.

I will keep this one real simple. Before you invest in the results that you see on TV all the time, ask yourself how many people you know that have gotten results from that program. If you have seen the commercial more times than people you have known that have completed the program, the financial success of the program is more due to marketing success than actually getting people in shape. If you see photoshop being used during the commercials, that is another red flag.

On Biggest Loser and the like, remember these are TV shows that entertain first, and education falls by the wayside.

6) I did the first day of the program, and I felt great - should I do more.

When you are looking at a program, you are looking for the results of the program, you are not looking for "tough workouts." you not only have to take into account intensity and volume, you also have to take into account frequency, or the amount of time you have to recover. In other words, in a program, there is a logic behind each workout. Especially in higher-frequency programs like PttP and RoP, you can't go balls out everytime. This is simply GAS Principle stuff. If the program calls from frequent (3-5x/week), you can't go hard all the time.

7) If I want the results of this program, but don't like/can't do this exercise, I will just substitute this one.

I see this a lot with mass-building or strength building programs. Usually the exercises asked for in this program are heavy, full-body like like deadlifts or squats. And the fact of the matter is that some people just don't have the stones to do those lifts. Well listen guys, when you are evaluating a program, you can't separate the exercise from the protocol. So if I *double face palm* when someone asks "I want wiry mass, I will do PttP. I don't like deadlifts and side presses, can I do leg extensions and tricep kickbacks instead?" you know why.

8) Being surprised that an increase in one lift does not lead to an increase in the main lift.

For example, a lot of people are surprised that a increase in the leg press does not lead to an increase in the squat. Or that an increased bottoms up press may not lead to an increase in pressing. In a leg press, the hip extension is at a different angle than the squat. Also, your hips are supported. Very different than a squat. Totally different exercise. Also, when you do special presses like the bottoms up press or push presses, it only helps if the special press corrects what is the weak link in your normal presses. Follow what the Westsiders do. Do the main lifts, and select corrective exercises based on your weak points.

Also, don't try to say, I can stack press the 24kg and 16kg 6 times, that must be the equivalent of pressing the Beast. Maybe, maybe not. If your have hard time "anchoring" the Beast, stacked presses are not going to help.

9) If a program calls for this exercise, and I pick a harder variation for this exercise, the program will be better right?

Wrong Kimosabe. I hear this a lot with stuff like RoP and VWC. In right of passage, I hear "I am going to do ladders, but I am going to do them bottoms up because it is harder." You are going to fry your CNS doing that. Just lift a heavier bell. Or for VWC/MaxVO2, can't I do Jerks instead, they are harder. Well smart guy, that program with long cycle is that the exercise takes longer, not a great fit if you are working in :15 intervals. Again, the creator of the program is not holding out on you, don't try to "enhance" programs in this way. When you develop a PROGRAM the exercise is as much as part of the the program of the protocol.

10) Asking "Which program is better?"

Here is another one I see on the forum. It is really annoying. Look people, any program that has any type of long-term clout works for something, IF you do it. There is something hidden when poeple ask this question. What they are really doing is taking the accountability away from them and putting it on the program. The better way to evaluate a program is:
* What are my objectives?
1) Does the program sastisfy my objective?
2) Is it doable/feasible?
==> If the answer to these two questions is "YES". Do the program. Commit to it.

Usually people that ask this question also play program roulette.

Getting Results....

2010-08-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a very short blog post because the subject is really not that difficult. Many people ask me about how to get results from their training. A lot of them seem legitimately frustrated when they ask me.

Here is my answer: Did you do the work? If the answer is anything other than "Yes", then reason is simple. You didn't do the work!

It is really that simple. When it comes to your body, it adapting to the work that you get it to do. It is not adapting to your excuses. Or your self-justifications.

Just like simple project management, when you are looking to get results:
1) Determine your goal attainable goal
2) Pick a plan that will get you to the goal
3) Execute the plan
4) Periodically assess progress and replan if necessary

Picking goals and plans are talked about all the time. The fact of the matter is that it is all about execution:

* This is actually the easiest, but most ignore, part of the process. The results come from what you do, not what you plan.

* What's in your training log? Do you even have one? How do you know you are getting better? If you don't keep a training log, you have pretty much sealed your failure. You did not document your execution.

* How many workouts have you missed in the last month? MOST PEOPLE DON'T FAIL BECAUSE THEY ARE ON THE WRONG PROGRAM. MOST PEOPLE FAIL BECAUSE THEY ARE DOING THE RIGHT PROGRAM with poor execution. Again, it is not the program that gets results, it is the work.

* No one else can do the work for you.

* On the Dragon Door forum, you get a lot of people asking "Can I mix {program A} with {program B}, I tell them if you do that you are not doing either program. Without fail, in two weeks they ask if they can combine program C, but can I substitute lunges for squats or something dumbass like that. I indoubtably say, if you substitute the exercises, it is no longer program C. The author of the program did not hold out on you. My point is this: Select a program and DO IT. Can't do one exercise in the program? Don't have the equipment or space to do it? Don't have time? PICK ANOTHER PROGRAM! THEN DO IT - for as long as it says to do it! Don't worry about picking the program if you ADD or SAE prevent you from sticking with one.

Don't even think about replanning until you have done one cycle on the program. I have a guy that lost 44lb in four months. Simple, he stayed with ETK/RoP for four months. I have a guy that gained 13lb in 9 weeks. Simple, he stayed with RTK for 9 weeks. If you haven't stayed with a program for 2 weeks, don't bellyache about a lack of results. You haven't put enough time in. If you have watched every episode of Big Brother, but don't have time to workout, you don't have your priorities straight. Simple, these guys got great results in a short amount of time by STAYING WITH HIGHLY PROVEN PROGRAM.

Now that they have gotten the results, we will look to replan. The guy who lost weight may be looking to put on some muscle. Maybe learn the long cycle and do some RTK. He is taking the snatch test to see if he "qualifies." The other is looking to lean out a little. How about some Max VO2? New bodies, new goals ==> new plans.

To summarize: Set Goal ==> Select A Plan ==> Do the Work!

Kettlebell Group Training/South Tampa

2010-08-17T07:36:00.000-07:00

I am starting a Kettlebell Group Training Class in South Tampa (Xtreme Athletix/1505 W Cypress St.) on Mon, Wed, and Thu.

If you are looking to get in shape, and are tired of the run around from the box gyms, kettlebell training is where its at.

Only $300/month, discounts available for long-term commitments.

To learn more, contact Faizal at 813-951-7470.

In home Personal Training (South Tampa/Weekends Only)

2010-08-17T07:31:00.000-07:00

In-home Personal Training only $100/hr (or $75/hr for 10 sessions).

ISSA- and RKC-certified fitness instructor with a knack for getting people in shape. Whether your goal is weight loss, strength, injury recovery, or athletic development - I will get you there. I have all the equipment you need an nothing you don't (e.g., no BOSU balls).

Check out my blog: http://faizalenu.blogspot.com/
Check out my instructor reviews: http://www.dragondoor.com/instructor/1010

Recent review:

Since taking Faizal's beginner kettlbell workshop my fitness has gone nowhere but up. I've since taken his intermediate level workshop in addition to private training sessions. Unlike traditional personal training, Faizal just doesn't simply tell you to do something, he explains the reasoning behind every correction and movement. This gives you the tools to truly learn about kettlebells, rather than just paying someone to walk you through a workout (not just a clipboard holder). As a member of the military, the carryover from using kettlebells has been substantial. It takes me a lot longer to feel fatigue while running, I am much stronger and I have had positive changes in my physique (can you say understatement). This will help me do much better on my fitness exams. Kettlebell training with Faizal has been the most productive training I have ever done (and she has done a lot)!

B.N., Largo, FL

Ladies and Gentlemen, what are you waiting for? Call Faizal at 813-951-7470 for a free consultation.

Intermediate Kettlebell Workshop....

2010-08-07T14:00:00.000-07:00

Kettlebell Excellence Series: Intermediate Kettlebell Workshop (Level 2) with RKC Instructor Faizal

Top 20 Professional Wrestlers list....

2010-08-07T13:52:00.001-07:00

...granted, this is based on my biases and age, but here goes....

1) Bob Backlund - ultimate baby face and technician.
2) Shawn Michaels - made all his opponents look good.
3) Ric Flair - best promo guy and could easily go 60 min.
4) Bret Hart - excellent technician, best there is...
5) Jimmy Snuka - probably inspired more people to become wrestlers (Tommy Dreamer, Cactus Jack) than any other wrestler. Responsible for the high flyers of today.
6) Kurt Angle - Puts on a great match
7) The Undertaker - Undefeated at Wrestlemania (or at least was...)
8) Chris Daniels/Curry Man -- Best of the current crop of today's wrestlers.
9) Steve Austin - Cuz Faizal Enu said so.
10) Rick Steamboat - Had the best all time match with Randy "Macho Man" Savage
11) Edge - TLC
12) Greg Valentine - Great heel
13) Iron Sheik - Better Heel
14) Mick Foley/Cactus Jack - Did more for extreme wrestling than any body...
15) Terry Funk - except Terry Funk
16) Kane - Been at the game a long time. Great at playing the monster heel.
17) Scott Hall/Razor Ramon - Ladder match with Shawn Michaels a legend. Could have been better.
18) Ivan Koloff - Underrated heel from the 70's and 80's
19) Rick Martel - Great technician and personality...
20) Sargeant Slaughter - Really great at working stiff.

Just a random top 10 list.....

2010-08-06T18:54:00.000-07:00

1) I have had a lot of good results teaching the snatch lately, esp. to females. Here are keys to success:
* Master the swing first....
* Teach the snatch to and open hand. It mitigates the "cast" and "overgripping"
* Don't rush to teach the snatch. I know when I have someone from my workshop that is learning from a teach-along video or a video that comes with a bell, they try the snatch waayyyy to early.
* If you focus on the hands during the snatch, the snatch tends to be "mechanical" and not "fluid/smooth". Teach the snatch from the swing and high pull. If they can't swing, they can't snatch. If they can't high pull, they can't snatch.
* I teach to the high pull from the swing. I then teach the punch through to an open hand to a dead stop, then I put humpty dumpty together.

2) There has been a lot of talk on the DragonDoor forum about the beautiful swing. All I care about are two things: 1) Is it safe? 2) Is it effective? The swing should look powerful, smooth, and athletic. It should not be jerky and it should definitely not look dangerous.

3) I had the following conversation with a client -- we were talking about how you get overweight. In a sense, it is simple as "Don't eat so much!". In another sense it is so much more complicated than that. People who get emotional over food have stuff they are dealing with. It is not always easy to deal with, but it is not OK to use food to satisfy emotional issues for one reason: It doesn't work!

4) I looked at the new TRX/kettlebell video "Iron Circuit Conditioning". Very professional video and Chris Frankel is as engaging as Pavel. Chris Gaines really looked impressive in the video. They also did a good job with the beginner, intermediate and advanced TRX and kettlebell variations.

5) I had a client that gained 13 lbs of mass on Return of the Kettlebell (RTK). Kettlebell and Barbell lifts are all going up. I am writing on article about this. Here is the key to succeeding with RTK: PUSH THE "PLAY" BUTTON.

6) Just to switch gears. With all the medications being doled out (I remember doing a client intake for someone who was on 86 medications), I think we will catch up with France and have cirrhosis of the liver being the second leading killer in the US.

7) Kettlebell are not being sold in more places. They are not cheap either, about $1.75 to $2.00/lb for "eh" bells. Get bells that have 100%/1 year money back guarantee.

8) Just a question, if you are doing movement screens and don't have an FMS, are you working outside your scope of practice? I don't just say no, I say "HELL NO!" as long as you can interpret what you are seeing and your tests make sense.

9) If you are looking at getting certified to teach kettlebells (and more than using them for curls and upright rows), click one of the following:

10) Favorite Tampa Restaurants:
* Tampa Bay Brewing Company
* Shrimp and Company (underrated too)
* Capital Grille
* The Tropicana
* Sukothai (Thai is getting like "NY style" Chinese in Tampa)
* Ceviche, South Tampa
* Yoko's Sushi (there is way too much sushi in Tampa)
* Pane Rustica
* Miguel's (this place is awesome)
* Iavoroni's
==> I know this list is South Tampa/Ybor bias. Anybody have any other suggestions.

11) Just a thought -- double swings are easier than a two-handed swing with the same weight. The reason: in double swings the wrists are slightly ulnar deviated. This is why a lot of people can swing heavier with a T-bar or other wide-handled apprati.

12) I have just gotten off 12 weeks of RKT, and one thing the Long Cycle Clean and Jerks have gotten me better at is DDR. The reason, better body control, especially in the hips. And stability in the hips has improved even though not specifically practicing it in the LC C&J.

==> Hey, the Big 10 is going to have 12 teams next year and the Big 12 is going to have 10 teams. Think about that one....

That's it!

Kettlebell Workshop

2010-07-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

Long Cycle Carryover to Dance Dance Revolution, and sports in general.....

2010-07-15T06:23:00.000-07:00

I recently took a self-imposed three week hiatus from Dance Dance Revolution (DDR). I had been doing RTK for about the last 10 weeks. Since starting DDR again, I have set about 9 new records, even though I had not played in 3 weeks. I broke the 40,000,000 barrier on a lot of new songs, and even added FULL COMBO status to two songs. This is ridiculous improvement.

This, my friends, is what they call carryover, the the improvement of one skill when getting better at another.

Over the last two weeks I had been really hitting the Long Cycle Clean and Jerk. For those of you who are not kettlebell educated, the long cycle is cleaning the bells to the shoulder position, then jerking them to locked out elbows overhead. For those of you who don't know what a JERK is, is a ballistic exercise that start with bells in the rack position, then you bump them up using your legs, and to finish the movement, you simultaneously extend your elbows and dip your hips, then stand up. The great think about the long cycle is that it allows you to do a lot of work in a short amount of time, the increasing the systemic training overload.

My best effort with the LC is 2x32kg x 5 x (2,4,6,8). I like using ladders for this because it allow you more sets than if you just did straight sets. This gives you more opportunities to practice the movement as extends your volume. I have done 2 24kg x 5 x (2,4,6,8,10) in under 30 minutes and 103 reps in 15:00 with the same bells. This is pretty darn good work capacity. In a pure work capacity calculation, this would be the equivalent of a pedestrian 206 snatches in 15 minutes, but given each reps is double the weight and is broken movement, it is much harder.

Here are the reasons that I think the Long Cycle carried over to DDR.
1) Better Conditioning: This is especially true for Lactic Acid Tolerance (or LaT). This increases your ability to withstand oxygen debt, which is what you are in when you are on a boss song of DDR. Also, when you are winded, skilled movement goes out the window. Your ability with withstand oxygen debt will improved performance in skilled activities like DDR.

2) Better hip mobility: The Long Cycle teaches you to "free" up your hips under load. When a lot of people first learn the long cycle, it is more like a push press, where they start the movement with the legs and continue wit the arms. As the user gets better at the movement, they learn to dip their hips while extending the arms. This improves hip mobility. This is very important for athletes that need to change direction frequently. DDR is that in a nutshell. The long cycle really teaches how to move the hips under a load. If you have stiff hips, long cycle becomes a push press. In DDR, what this does is help you keep your feet closer to the dance pad, increasing foot speed and accuracy, and of course your scores and your combos. What I have noticed is that I can keep my hips lower while moving my feet. For soccer players and running back, have you heard of "keeping a low center of gravity" or being able to move your hip a lot in a small space. The long cycle will help with both essential qualities.

3) Better ankle mobility: I had never really thought about this one, and it is a fitness concept that gets absolutely no press, but your elite athletes tend to possess this. Never really though about this one, but in the long cycle, if your ankles come up off of the ground you leak power. You stay more connected when you can keep your feet flat (dorsiflexed) in the jerk portion. One side effect of DDR, and a lot of other activities, is shortened (plantar flexed) calves. If you can maintain ankle mobility, you can keep the foot flatter, which increased your footprint, and also accuracy and "foot rate". THIS IS AN ATHLETIC QUALITY THAT ANY ATHLETE WOULD BENEFIT FROM.

Now here is the kicker. Before doing long cycles, I could not do a pistol. I can squat over 400lbs, but I can't do a pistol. Well guess what, that's right baby -- a 16kg pistol. I know it is not much for some of you, but I think I am on my way to bigger things. If you think about why this would happen. Think about this.

What muscle dorsiflexes the ankle joint: Extersor digitorum longus (among others)
What is the other action of that muscle: Eversion of the foot. Its primary function is to extend the four lesser toes, and I find that I am still "dumb" in that are.

What that means is that if you have inverted feet. (Here is a test, look at your shoes, if they wear on the outside more than the inside, you have inverted ankle joints). The will also flatten your feet from inside to outside, increasing your connectivity to the ground. PRETTY COOL, anybody into balance sports (golf, bowling, etc.) should get in on the long cycle.

Long cycle also teaches you, in the "second dip", to keep your feet flat while dipping your hips. This translates well into the DDR quality of moving your feet WITHOUT having to jump up in the air. This keeps you closer to the pad and improves your score. In any sport, "jukability" comes from being able to more your feet while not having to raise your hips.

4) Panic reflex: Supporting two bells on your chest is not natural. In my group training, we do a lot of rack walks. A lot of people hate them because it is not natural to have something on your chest. They get into a state of "panic", and they tend to do two things:
* They start holding the bells with their arms, they get tired real fast
* They start "mouth breathing", and get tired real fast.

The long cycle teaches you to keep your breathing while under load. DDR games last about 90s, and the song does not slow down to match your heart rate to the "fat burning zone". You have to learn correct breathing under oxygen debt. long cycle helps teach this

Running Workout Post Blog....

2010-07-15T06:20:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 14th:
Evening
For x = 10 to 1, step -1
DDR, 1 song, EXPERT (about the equivalent of running a 400yd dash)
KB snatches: 24kg x 2*x Left/2*x Right
Next x

Did 220 snatches and 10 songs of DDR. What slowed me down was having to wipe down the dance pad and bells.

Workout Rating: 7.5 (on a toughness scale of 1-10, 10 being the toughest.

Thursday:
Some squatting practice, and that was it
Goblet Squats: 32kg x 5 x 5 (showing the students how to get deep)
Overhead squats: 16kg, 24kg x 1 x 5
Double overhead squats: 2 26kg x 2 x 5

Difficulty rating: 2

Friday:
12 rounds: 1 song of DDR and Swings: 48kg x 15

Difficulty rating: 6.5

World Cup Quarterfinals Blurbs

2010-07-03T15:02:00.000-07:00

Ghana vs. Uruguay (Uruguay wins on PKs):
Simply, what a game. Very well played by both teams. Usually a games that is 1-1 AET does not have a lot of attacking soccer, but this one did. There were two long goals, but generally the defenses were up to the task. A very enjoyable game.

Now to get to the point: At the very end of extra time, Ghana is furiously attacking the Uruguayan net. In one last flurry, a free kick is skip headed just past the goalie and onto the head of another Ghanian attacker. Uruguay's Suarez pinches in behind the goalie (who is out of position) and intentionally handled a sure goal by Ghana. If the ball goes in Ghana wins. Suarez handled the ball, the penalty kick is awarded (correctly) and Suarez is given a straight Red Card (correctly - DOGSO, denying of an obvious goal scoring opportunity), and the game is continued to allow for the taking of the penalty kick. Ghana misses the penalty kick, and Uruguay goes on to win the penalty kicks.

Now the question is did the Suarez do anything unethical. My opinion is NO. Was it illegal? YES. Would I do the same thing? An emphatic "FUCK YES"! But tactically it was the right decision, and he will suffer the consequences and miss the semifinal against Holland.

I ask you all? Do you think Suarez deserves a stiffer penalty? Explain in comments.

Brazil vs. Holland (1-2):

This game sucked. I am only giving this bullet points:
* Holland's dives were disgraceful. Killed this game for me.
* Holland first goal was due to goalkeeper failure to communicate. If you call for a ball, you get the ball, even if you have to go through the other team, your own team, the referee, your Mom and Dad, and President Obama.
* Wesley Sneijder of Holland is a beast. Controlled the game, especially at the offensive end.

Germany vs. Argentina (4-0):
* Argentina not strong enough defending.
* Mertesacker and Friedrich did a great job in central defense.
==> Nothing much more deserves to be said about this stinker.

Spain vs. Paraguay (1-0):
* Great game to watch
* Even though Spain had a 3:1 edge in possession, both team created numerous chances.
* Paraguay should have gotten the red on there foul, but since the player from Spain stopped to shield the Red was not given.
* I thought after Spain's PK that the Paraguayan keeper got the ball before Cesc's feet.
* You have to be consistent with encroachment. Looks like they missed it during Paraguay's PK miss (I missed it too).
* Paraguay gets a bum rap as a boring team. Just because they don't attack without discipline does not mean they are boring. They were able to create chances with less possession, and there is nothing wrong with that.

World Cup Bracket Analysis....

2010-06-28T04:35:00.000-07:00

It may be a little late for this, but here is my Analysis of the knockout round:

Bracket 1:
South Korea vs. Uruguay
US vs. Ghana
==> If we were going to get to the semi's this would be the year. We would have an even shot against any of these teams. Alas, it was not to be. I think Uruguay's offensive prowess will be too much, but the game will be fun to watch.
* Winner: Uruguay

Netherlands vs. Slovakia
Brazil vs. Chile
==> Netherlands and Brazil to advance. Both teams are playing well, but my edge goes to the Brazilians. Netherlands defensive weaknesses get exposed by Brazil
* Winner: Brazil

Bracket 3:
Argentina vs. Mexico (3-1)
Germany vs. England (4-1)
==> I would have expected closer games, but that is soccer. A rematch of some classic finals. I think Germany is too technically sound for Agentina.
* Winner: Germany

Bracket 4:
Paraguay vs. Japan
Spain vs. Portugal
==> Anything can happen, but I take Spain and Paraguay, with Spain going to the semis.

Semi 1
Brazil over Uruguay (Brazil is Brazil)

Semi 2:
Germany over Spain (Germany is playing better)

Final: Rematch of 2002, Winners: Germany

Kettlebell Clean and Jerk tips....

2010-06-28T01:13:00.000-07:00

I noticed that some people have problems with their long cycle. I don't consider myself an expert, but I do have an eye for detail. Here are some tips that will help you out. Keep mind, these are RKC/RTK style as opposed to GS-style. Not that the style are that different, and GS guys are awesome athletes.

1) Jerk Grip: Most people use the same grip for the press as for the jerk portion of the long cycle. This is not optimal. You need to get the diagonal grip so that you can really load the tricep while keeping the biceps whip-like. If the handle is going across your hand, you will be stiff in the jerks. Also, you don't want to wrap your fingers around the bells when you do this, this flexes your CP joints, which stiffens your forearms (the muscles that flex the CP joint are extrinisic muscles) and the biceps. Keep your fingers on the outside of the bells. This will also keep your from banging your fingers between the bells. This is displayed very well in RTK.

2) Straight Wrist: I see a lot of people do this that have good form, so this is not a directive, but rather a suggestion. When cleaning the bells, you want to get the "V" between your thumb and forefinger on the outside horn of the bell. What this allows you to do is get that diagonal grip while still keeping a straight wrist. This is especially true when using the bigger (32kg +) non-GS style bells.

3) Initial Grip Setup: In order to get the diagonal grip, when you are setting up, start with your hands on the inside part of the "V" formed by the kettlebells. This will translate into gripping the top half of the handles, enabling you to get a better diagonal grip. You will almost feel like the KBs are an extension of your hands. More importantly, this will move the bells outward and back, improving your leverage.

4) The Clean: When you do the clean in the long cycle, you have to be:
a) Powerful with the hips
b) Fast with the hands
If you are passive with the hips, then you are forced to grip the bells. If you grip the bells, you can't be fast with the hands and you will have a hard time getting to a diagonal grip, and the jerk will be more like a push press. You want to have a powerful hip drive, and tame the arc with loose and fast moving hands.

5) Eye position: This is a very common mistake because of the subtlety. In my coaching I find that wherever the eyes go, the body follows. In the jerk portion of the long-cycle, a lot of people mimic what they do in the press, and that is look slightly upward. That works great for the press, because it improve leverages through thoracic extension and creates tension in the lats/arms. It is bad for the jerk because is separates the arm from the torso (reducing leg drive) and stiffens the arm. You want to look down on the horizon (as it says in RTK) to keep the bells connected to the torso and your upper body looser.

6) Hip vs. Knee action: In the "first dip" and "second dip" portion of the jerk, many people tend to dip with the hips going straight down and the knees going forward. This worsens your leverage and disconnects you from the floor. Try to get your hips back. If you feet come up while you are dipping, you are taking your posterior chain out of the movement, putting stress on your back and knees. I have found that this is very much affected by the poor grip positioning and/or eye focus.

7) Rotate the bells laterally in the rack: This was a tip I got from GS competitor/RKC Matt Schinaback. If you rotate the shoulders laterally while the bells are racked, you don't have to do them while you are jerking. This will tension out of the arms, giving you whippier jerks.

Goal Line Technology....

2010-06-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

In the Germany-England game this morning, Frank Lampard to a great shot from about 30 yards out that hit off of the crossbar and went in by about 4 ft. The only people who did not see it are the lineman and the referee. Granted, I have been in that position as a referee and that is hard to see. Also, you have to see the ball go into the goal, not just "think" it went in.

I personally don't like the idea of using technology to determine things that can be seen by referees. I like to keep it human. Here would by my "goal line technology':
Have an assistant (G) assigned to the each endline. They would be responsible for ball over the endline and also on balls into touch near them. It would look something like this.

<-------L------> ................G
________________ ________________
|****************|****************|
|****************|****************|
|****************|****************|
|****************|****************|
|****************|****************|
|****************|****************|
|****************|****************|
|****************|****************|
|________________|________________|
G................ <-------L------>

Given the importance of world cup games, add two officials would not be too much to add, this could also easily be implemented at lower levels, where electronic technology can not.

And just a comment, FIFA really screwed up with the ball. That is because they is too much money involved in the "official World Cup ball". I think they should do what they do in club soccer. Make the home club responsible for supplying the ball, and if the ref said it is OK, then you play with it. No need to get real creative with the ball, just make sure it conforms to all the rules: Size, weight, psi, round, safe, etc.