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Recently I have noticed a resurgence of kettlebells in the world of fitness, and as a result I have been getting more questions regarding their origin and utility.
So, “What is the deal with kettlebells, and should I be using them?”
Just for the record, training with kettlebells is not a new idea, just newly popular. Kettlebells as we know them today have existed for around 350 years. Originally they were used as handled counterweights for use in public markets, later were put to use for entertainment, and eventually for they made their way to the weight room.
Fun facts: In 1948, modern kettlebell lifting became the Soviet Union’s national sport. In the 1970′s kettlebell lifting became part of the United All State Sport Association of the USSR, and in 1985 national rules, regulations & weight categories were finalized, and the first National Championship took place in Lipetsk, Russia. To this day, the Russian Military requires its recruits to train with kettlebells. Additionally, the US Government and law enforcement personnel have been using kettlebells for physical training for decades.
Put simply, a kettlebell is just a dumbbell with the weight in the middle and below the handle instead of on the ends. Most exercises that I see the average exercise enthusiast attempting with a kettlebell can be easily performed with a dumbbell, including power exercises like the snatch, hang clean, and push jerk. That said, kettlebells are unique in that their center of mass extends beyond your hand, unlike the dumbbell, which does facilitate ballistic and swinging movements.
Kettlebells are most effective when used for power (e.g. clean, snatch, jerk) and deceleration (e.g. the kettlebell swing) training. If you are wondering whether or not kettlebells are for you, you need to first answer the question “am I interested in power training”. Power training is best for those individuals looking to increase their quickness, jump higher, or generally become more explosive. If you are trying to improve your first step on the squash court, or get closer to the rim in basketball, power training is for you. If your primary goal is to look better or improve your cardiovascular endurance, kettlebells may not be the best answer for you. And always remember that power training can be dangerous if you have not built up an adequate level of muscular strength with less demanding exercises. If you have an injury, particularly in the hip or low back, or a weak core, power training can be a very dangerous activity. Please, if you are recently returning to the gym, start with resistance training exercises that are less ballistic in nature. You will be better off in the long run.
 All in all, if used correctly, kettlebells can be easily and safely incorporated into your workout routine. As with all trending fitness modalities, take their rise in popularity with a grain of salt and do not throw out your traditional exercise routine for an exclusive “ultimate kettlebell bonanza”. If you are interested in using kettlebells, try incorporating an exercise or two into your existing routine. Forgo joining a kettlebell-only gym, or suffering through an hour of kettlebell-only training.
For more information on how to utilize kettlebells safely please contact Fitness Director Jacob Galloway.
Optimism can shape our reality. Our ability to look at a situation and discern whether the outcome will be good or bad is skewed by experience. If we experience a negative outcome and approach every situation that follows with skepticism, our beliefs of a negative outcome become re-affirmed. It is then easy to start to look for that negative in everything. The reality is in the eye of the beholder.
Training the brain to be positive is like training the muscular system. Recent research on neuroplasticity shows that as you develop new habits, you can rewire the brain. So, what does this mental workout entail?
Find your personal strength- Recent research has shown having an “Oprah moment” of psychological growth in response to a traumatic event in your life is possible if coupled with specific action. In other words, the belief “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” can only be accurate if a personal betterment of self is associated with it. According to, “Post-Traumatic Stress’s Surprisingly Positive Flip Side,” by The New York Times, recent studies done on trauma survivors show positive change in relation to renewed appreciation, better relationships, and more spiritual satisfaction.
Meditation - This concept has been brought up in past blogs, but transitioning from internal dialog to awareness can bring deeper clarification of our perceived reality. Learning to be present and experience with our senses while observing our reaction to it is crucial to breaking the cycle.
Controlling memory – You can cultivate positive energy by changing the stories you tell about the events in your life. This goes back to being the observer and noticing how you process your experiences.
BREATHE - Controlling your breath will reduce anxiety by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. A lot of our physical habits/ reactions can negatively impact our mental state and visa versa.
Control the external environment - It seems like common sense, but find the things you enjoy participating in and make it more of a routine. Research suggests people are attuned to context when they are experiencing positive emotions. When you spend more time allowing yourself to see the good that surrounds you in even the smallest of details, you can train your brain to recognize the positive, or evoke positive emotions in response.
Visualization/ modifying the senses - Using a visual to imagine every time you notice your thoughts going in a negative direction can divert your thought pattern. Try envisioning a stop sign, which can give even more motivation to control that negative thought path, or visualizing something funny (i.e. a purple elephant in a tutu). This is like self-induced semantic priming, where you are evoking a reaction to a situation when it occurs later in your life.
You can also get a theme song. I’ll never forget one summer I took an accelerated summer course in organic chemistry that was so grueling. And, I remember one kid would sing to himself, “You’re the Best,” by Joe Esposito as his theme song. Let your song be a reminder you can choose to redefine what is possible.
Write a gratitude journal - Reflecting on all you have to be grateful for leaves you with true appreciation. This as a regular practice should keep everyone thankful & optimistic. More importantly, it keeps you realistic. Life is hard and every human being has a collective of both positive and negative experiences that help shape your personality. Recent research suggests an optimal ratio of positive to negative being 3 to 1. This to me seems an arbitrary demonstration of our need to have balance in every aspect.
Psychologist Martin Seligman proposes in his book, “Flourish,” a new well-being theory. He believes there are four pillars of well-being, including: positive emotion induced by happiness, satisfaction, and engagement; meaning, positive relationships, and accomplishment. We can all flourish by reminding ourselves to view optimism as training our brains.
 If you have questions about this posting, or would like ideas on beginning a new workout regime, please feel free to contact Personal Fitness Trainer Amber Walz.
There are many great exercises in this world and many amazing ways to build them into a workout. But I often get asked by members and clients what are the very best exercises to do. Here is a list of 5 of the most beneficial exercises for anyone looking to better overall fitness. You can use these exercises to design a program that focuses more on specific aspects of fitness but as an overall list these exercises will improve everything from endurance, to power, to flexibility. If you aren’t doing at least some of these exercises you are missing out!
- Front squat - especially the kettlebell front squat (also known as a goblet squat) is a great exercise for developing leg strength as well as focusing more on “core” stability than the back squat and it also carries with it a far less risk of injury. There is a lot of truth in the statement “everybody needs to squat more.” This squat will allow you to find lower depths in your squat as well as teach you to use your trunk to stabilize during the movement. Of course since you are using your legs and using a bigger range of motion you are also increasing your heart rate and burning more calories. Score!
- Turkish Get-Up - especially those done with a kettlebell is a real “full body” exercise! This movement demands you to stabilizing weight overhead while shifting your body beneath the weight, because of this skill you will be developing key stabilizing muscles and doing it in a highly functional way. Getting up from the ground is a fundamentally human pattern, and is scalable for lifelong strength and functional mobility. It’s cardio, it’s strength, it’s ab work, it’s flexibility, it’s skill and technique, and it’s fun!
- Jumping - especially box jumping, jumping is a wonderful way to get back to the basics of human movement. Any form of jumping (jump rope, stair jumping, long jumps, etc.) is an amazing way to increase your cardiac output as well as move your body through space with power. Box jumping in particular is great as it forces you to commit to the movement and use all your power and muscle contraction from your calves all the way up into your glutes, into your core, and even into your arms and shoulders. It’s a full body exercise that will test you physically and mentally and can be done anywhere!
- Push-ups especially gymnastic push-ups. Push-ups are a great way to train your body to move as one. In a proper push-up you move everything together towards the floor (and touch the floor of course!) putting high demands on your core. In a gymnastic push-up you get to take the basic skill and range of motion one step further and increase joint strength and mobility as well as focus more on tricep strength and shoulder mobility. This exercise will train your body from your shoulders to your glutes and really make you aware of where your body is in space.
- Weighted swing especially with the kettlebell. This is hands down one of the best exercises for literally nearly anyone and everyone. The kettlebell swing trains everything from your feet on up to your shoulders. You learn to use your body with power, speed, and aggression. Even more so you learn to use your biggest muscles in combination with supporting muscles to achieve a full body movement. Due to the demand through your core you also get a ton of back strength and bettered stabilizing from smaller muscles. It really gets the heart rate up as well as increasing strength.
 If you want to know more about these exercises and other movements that will help you achieve better fitness contact Adriana Brown.
Most of us, whether at the computer, behind the wheel, hunched over our bicycle or in front of the TV, are spending many hours sitting. And that seems to be what we do in our culture – sit. Because of this, certain muscles are in a shortened position, the body gets out of balance, and we feel achy, stiff and cranky. The hamstrings and hip flexors become tight. And the front of the shoulders and chest have been locked in a forward position, and we start to assume a hunched-over posture. Not good – not healthy! The pain is often felt in the low back, hips and the shoulders, among other places.
What can we do about this? A few self-care stretches and postures can really help:
- Lie on your back and wrap a towel or strap around the foot. With the knee straight or slightly bent, pull the leg toward you, stretching the hamstrings. Switch sides. Hold each gentle stretch for 30 seconds and repeat a few times.
- In a lunge position, with the back knee on the floor (or a mat), lean forward to stretch the front of the hip. Again, hold and switch sides.
- If you’re at the gym, or have access to a large therapy ball, drape yourself over the ball – face up – and let the weight of the arms and legs open the body. Gently rock back and forth. Reach the arms out and then up, breathe, and let the chest and shoulders stretch.
- Bend forward, keeping the feet apart and knees straight. Lace the fingers together behind you and extend the arms over your back and head as far as possible. Without changing this position, lift your head back in opposition. Hold for 20 seconds, then bend the knees and slowly come back to an upright position.
Being consistent with these self-care stretches and postures will really help with aches and pains due to sitting for too many hours. Ask our massage therapists or personal trainers for help with this, and for other ideas. There is a great hand-out that we can give you called “Computer Posture Exercises”.
And, of coarse, book an hour massage! You’ll be glad you did. Along with you’re routine at the office, home or gym, a professional massage will give you relief and help reinforce the work you are doing on your own. We can help releasing the hamstrings, hip flexors, chest and shoulders. This will get the body back in balance.
Yes, we do spend a lot of time sitting, but with some consistent self-care and a good massage session, we will feel relaxed and healthy again. Thanks for reading this, and feel free to ask one of us for help.
We have had so many months of either working out inside or some people braving the rain, snow and wind to get a workout in outdoors. As soon as the sun comes out we all flock outside – looking for some vitamin D. Warmer weather means more beach time, but keep in mind the water is not nearly as warm as we may think it is. Just because we have had sun for a few days, it doesn’t heat Puget Sound and the many lakes and rivers around here rapidly.
Water temperatures range from 44 ° – 46 ° F in the winter to 54 ° – 56 ° in Spring and Summer months. The human body’s temperature run between 97 ° – 99 ° – which is a huge difference from the water temperature. Keep this in mind when you head out for your Spring and Summer activities. It only takes 1 – 4 hours of being in the water for hypothermia to affect your body. The time it takes for hypothermia to affect you depends on a few things, such as body fat the amount and type of clothing you are wearing. If you are moving you seem to keep warmer but once you stop all the heat quickly dissipates.
Children get chilled much more quickly than adults. Watch for chattering teeth and lips this is sign of being too cold. After that the lips turn from pink to purple this means get out and get warm. Typically one should think of getting out before the lips are purple.
Don’t forget the sunscreen!
Do you want a strong core? Check out this twist…
A lot is said about the Yoga Practice for “flexibility” and it’s true, “Range of Motion-use it or loose it”…but did you ever think about the other half of that? Strength.
Healthy low back needs flexibility around the hip flexors, adductors, hammies and lats….but all those stabilizer muscles need to be strong too, on a deep level.
Lunge “hands free” Twist is an excellent way to develop Core strength and practice what I call “stealth” yoga, when you are doing more than one pose at a time with out even knowing it. Lunges of course strengthen the whole leg, and stretch quads/adductors, and with the addition of a Core stabilizing twist, Ba BAM!!! Ballistic power and flexibility under pressure.
Let’s do this:
First, step onto your yoga mat in lunge position, heel of back foot up, equal weight on both feet. As you breathe in, place your hands in “prayer pose”, keep your hands to your chest and gently start the twist toward the bent knee direction. Keep lengthening your spine, and drop your shoulders. But here’s the key “no touchy” your knee with your elbows, this is all about developing core strength and flexibility with JUST your core, not “yanking” with your hands…Each time you inhale, pause at the top of the breath, actively pull your belly button to your spine ( what ‘s really happening is the central tendon in your diaphragm is pulling that muscle down, giving you space and strength to twist) then exhale and deepen thee twist…take your time, 5 breaths or so on each side.
You will definitely create internal heat from working this pose, and you’ll be amazed at how sore you feel from this simple but very effective way to add a strong “hands free ” twist to your yoga practice. Excellent for golfer’s, footballers, squash players and anyone who goes from a relaxed state to requiring ballistic strength and energy as soon as the alarm goes off.
Many of us are aware of the fact that 2/3 of the US population is overweight and 1/3 of it is obese (and those numbers are still on the rise). Of that 2/3 there are more men overweight, but there are more women than men in the obese category. It seams that with our increase in technological ease comes an increase in our waist lines. The recommendations for getting out of the Lazy Boy and moving is 30 minutes of accumulated exercise each day (at least) but the average American does not get 30 minutes of accumulated exercise in a week. What I am going to try and do is break down exercise for someone overweight into an easy information system that can be followed to aid in starting weight loss and healthier habits.
With all the infomercials on TV showing weight loss pills, shake weights and new fad exercise stuff its hard to know what to do to lose weight. I always like to say, you did not gain all your weight overnight, it won’t come off that quickly either. There have been many studies looking into what causes excessive weight gain; being too much food, too little exercise or both. One key factor that is consistently present in weight gain of children, adolescents and adults is a sedentary lifestyle!
- Excess weight gain has been shown be closer related to reduced physical activity rather than increase eating.
- Studies have shown that excessive weight gain among children, adolescents and adults is directly related to hours spent watching TV; each 2-hr a day increment in TV watching coincided with a 23% increase in obesity and 14% rise in diabetes risk.
- Overweight individuals often do not eat more on average than persons of normal weight.
So now that we know we need to take steps to increase our activities and get our diet under control to begin a long term weight loss habit, what is the next step? We should try to create a negative energy balance (burn more calories than we consume) through:
- Increasing the amount of calories we burn with daily activities:
- Normal daily activity – this means walking to work or the grocery store, move as much as possible, don’t take the easy route
- Daily exercise – increase your exercise intensity or duration
- Improve physical fitness
- Alter body fat and fat distribution
Debunking two myths about exercising:
- Exercise causes one’s appetite to increase; negating the calories burned performing that exercise.
- This is a two part answer depending on body type: first the athletic/fit person, who could require 5000 kcals daily, needs to consume much more energy (food) to maintain their current weight and fitness level. Second is the overweight person, whose large energy reserve makes it easier to tolerate weight loss without that increase in post workout calorie consumption.
- In a nutshell most people who workout and then eat a lot of food afterwards are the thinner athletes who need to eat a lot to maintain their weight, where as the overweight people don’t need to eat near as much post workout because their body is using their fat stores for energy.
- Working out does not have as much of a “dent” on the body’s fat store as dieting does.
- Many people feel that is takes some huge amount of exercise in one outing to burn off 1 lb of fat (3500 kcals); for instance it would take someone playing golf for 20 hours to burn off 1 lb of fat. This is true, and no one wants to play golf for that long, so lets figure out how to make it work…shorter rounds of golf more often. If someone played golf for just 2 hrs a day two days a week it would take them 5 wks to lose that 1 lb of fat. Remember slow and steady wins the race, in a year this person would be down 10 lbs of fat. Who wouldn’t want to lose 10 lbs of fat with golfing twice a week?
- Remember, the calorie expending effects of exercise will add up, whether it happens rapidly or over an extended period of time.
Resistance training for people looking to lose weight can be very beneficial by burning over 9 kcal a minute, increasing muscular strength and endurance and increasing one’s Fat Free Mass.
- Ideal exercise consists of using large muscle groups during moderate to high calorie burning exercises (such as swimming, stair climbing, circuit training).
- A reasonable goal would be to progressively increase the moderate activity between 60 and 90 min daily.
- Increase total daily energy expenditure substantially and regularly rather than increase exercise intensity to induce a training response (increase exercise duration before intensity).
- Exercise a minimum of 3 days a week to do favorable changes to your body composition.
- Make it a goal to burn at least 300 kcal in each exercise session.
- Meaningful changes in bodyweight and composition will happen over at least 12 weeks.
- Think about adding lifestyle changes in your daily physical activity, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
- People that join a weight loss program or exercise with friends lose more weight than those trying to do it alone!
- Weight bearing cardio exercises will be the best for losing weight safely and at a faster pace.
The ideal combination for weight loss…Diet plus Exercise. Combining diet with exercise allows people more flexibility in their weight loss plan and gives them longevity in maintaining that fat loss. By combining diet with exercise two you reduce the intense feelings of hunger seen by dieting alone and you protect against muscle loss by exercising aerobically or with weights. Some experts think that its not exactly the increase in structured exercise that aids in weight loss but rather the psychologic-behavioral aspects that change ones “regular” physical activity; meaning that when people start to go for walks instead of watching TV, join a sports team and start to move again there is better sustained weight loss than just going to a gym regularly.
 Weight loss really is in the hands of the individual seeking it. You want to be the tortoise in this race, slow and steady to win the race; after all the weight didn’t suddenly appear on your body so don’t expect it suddenly drop off overnight. A quote from the National Task Force on the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity best summarizes weight loss: “obese individuals who undertake weight loss efforts should be ready to commit to lifelong changes their behavioral patterns, diet and physical activity.” Also remember that there is strength in numbers; so go find a friend or coworker to join you in your weight loss adventure. If you would like more information on weight loss or just have questions on how to get started please feel free to contact Fitness Director Jacob Galloway.
I am glad to be joining Seattle Athletic Club Downtown and looking forward to working with clients in the pool teaching swimming or water fitness, and on the floor working on issues of balance, coordination, strength, stability, and overall functional fitness. I am also looking forward to working with clients and members on the table using Muscle Activation Technique to help assure that the distribution of work between muscles is in proper alignment to the bodies needs.
So what is MAT? Gregg Roskopf, the founder of MAT describes it in part like this:
“MAT looks at muscle tightness as a form of protection in the body. Weak or inhibited muscles can create the need for other muscles to tighten up in order to help stabilize the joints. MAT gets to the root of pain or injury by addressing muscle weakness rather than muscle tightness. This helps to restore normal body alignment, thereby, decreasing pain and reducing the risk of injury.”
A good analogy is one of a tent. The tent is made stable by a series of tent stakes that strap it down. If one of those stakes gets pulled up then the even tension between the ropes becomes distorted. Some ropes will tighten to compensate the missing rope. But that will cause other ropes to loosen because they do not have to work as hard. The end result is that the tent is no longer reliable in its strength and stability. That’s what happens when a muscle looses its ability to do its job, when it is inactive. Other muscles will compensate and become tight while other muscles weaken. Then the risk of injury increases dramatically. Muscle Activation Technique is a non-invasive and testable protocol that tests muscles throughout the body for specific weaknesses. And it as a process to go about re-activating those muscles so they can begin pulling their own weight, as it were.
 If this sounds like it is something that you need to experience or if you are having issues with muscle imbalances or just don’t feel like you are moving at quite the same capacity as you used to please feel free to contact Personal Fitness Trainer Nathan Palmer.
 Purpose: The fourth exercise in the Stomach Series targets the powerhouse to the extreme.
- Lie on your back with hands behind your lifted head; one on top of the other, (not interlaced); elbows wide.
- Extend your legs straight to the ceiling, heels together and toes turned out slightly, squeeze inner thighs, sink navel toward spine.
- Inhale and lower your straight legs down toward the mat for 3 counts. Stop if you feel your lower back begin to arch.
- Exhale as you raise your straight legs toward the ceiling. Don’t allow the legs to pass 90 degrees; the tailbone does not leave the mat.
Complete 8-10 times. To end bring both knees into chest.
Checklist:
- Remain perfectly still in your torso.
- Engage the glutes and inner thighs to support and protect your back.
- If your back arches off the mat as you lower your legs, you are taking them too low. Bring shoulders away from ears.
Note: If you have a delicate back, place your hands in a V position just below your tailbone (palms down) and leave your head down.
Visualization: Imagine your legs are attached to springs above your head. You must stretch the springs on the way down and resist their pull on the way up.
There is a great deal of confusion surrounding body composition improvement. Conflicting information saturates the media concerning what methodology is most appropriate to help us reach our goals, which leads to many of us expending unnecessary time and energy in the gym doing the wrong things. Approaching our goals from the wrong direction, unfortunately, keeps them out of reach.
First, we need to get a few things straight. Body composition is the comparison of adipose tissue (fat) to lean tissue (everything else). Those of us who desire to shape, tone, and define our bodies often mistakenly identify our primary goal as simply “weight loss”. In reality, our goal is more accurately described as “body composition improvement”. Losing weight alone will not produce the result we strive for. We also need structure – in the form of lean muscle. To put the bottom line up front: Lifting weights (resistance training) is a better way to improve body composition than cardiovascular exercise. Disagree? Read on…there are two main reasons resistance training is so effective – one occurs in the short-term, one in the long-term.
The short-term can seem a little tricky, and is often misinterpreted. While you are actively exercising, cardiovascular exercise burns more calories than resistance training of the same relative intensity. This fact alone causes a great deal of confusion and feeds misinformation to popular fitness media.
There is more to the story than how many calories we burn during a workout. How many calories are expended post workout is relevant as well. When our cardiovascular routine ends, it takes the body merely a few minutes to return to resting heart rate, and therefore resting metabolism. However, when we finish resistance training, our metabolism is positively affected by tissue repair and growth for up to 72 hours. When we finish with cardiovascular exercise, our metabolism returns to normal before we hit the locker room, while after a resistance training workout we continue burning extra calories for several days. Still not convinced? Consider the long-term.
The long-term picture is a little simpler. Resistance training over time will cause the body to create additional lean muscle mass. Lean muscle is more metabolically active, that is, it requires more calories to maintain itself than adipose tissue does – so the more lean muscle mass we have, the higher our metabolism. Elevating our metabolism causes the body to burn more calories during everything that we do, day and night.
Restated simply: Resistance training is a more effective way to improve body composition than cardiovascular activity, both in the short-term and the long-term. Cardiovascular training is still critical for good health – the heart is the most important muscle, after all. But we call it “cardio” for a reason: it is primarily for the heart. The road to train the rest of the body runs straight through the weight room.
So stop worrying about weight, step off the scale, and pick up some dumbbells.
If you have questions about how to plan your workouts based on body composition measurements, please feel free to contact Personal Fitness Trainer Damien K. Krantz.
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