Blogs

Here's another example of dowel hip hinges and how to program them into a swing workout
http://www.giryagirl.com/Mindful-Monday-Kettlebell-Swing-Form-Intensive-Workout

More notes about the hip hinge and swing fixins:
http://www.giryagirl.com/kettlebells-at-the-absolute-beginning

Ian Holmes on hand care and the soft tissues of the forearm:
http://www.giryagirl.com/Ian-Holmes-Hand-Care-Forearm-Care

The two versions of this workout are a lot of fun, but should only be attempted if you're VERY comfortable with the 1 arm swing.  They also should be performed outside or in a safe area, especially if you're trying 1 arm swings with a heavier kettlebell than usual.   Make sure to always keep your form, stop before things get sloppy.   You will need to use a strong hip hinge/snap to make this work - as well as NO twisting of the torso (if you find you have to REACH to switch hands with the kettlebell, you're probably twisting!)

We warmed up with joint mobility exercises, a few 2 hand kettlebell swings, and some deadlifts.

Moderate Kettlebell version:

5 rounds of:

Back in the early 2000s, I used to give a vegetarian/vegan cooking demo and lecture with a friend at a popular yoga studio.  I'd written up a ton of recipes and helpful hints to accompany the program.  It was a lengthy handout that a lot of people seemed to enjoy.   Thankfully, I found a few copies of this printout recently, as it no longer existed in "computer" form.   A client offered to type it up for trade in training, then I had a specialist format it for the Amazon Kindle. Some of the recipes are not necessarily things that I eat anymore (grains/tofu) but most are still "accidentally gluten free" or can be made that way with great ease.   The "three ways to cook steelcut oats" part includes a total slacker method that brings these sometimes troublesome oats back into the picture for those who otherwise enjoy eating them.

So much fun checking out the newly revised, updated, and improved RKC Level 2 curriculum this past weekend and cheering on my fellow RKCs!   People showed up literally from all over the world.   Anyway, I was reminded of a great drill and stand alone exercise that was absolutely perfect for the skill level of my small group classes - the Long Press.   I had been wanting to teach them the push press and eventually the clean and jerk, but we had been running into problems (those forgetful hips....).   The Long Press is a POWERFUL full body exercise that teaches the sort of feel one has at the push press without creating some bad habits.

Here's the workout (with hip hinge added in to make sure the hips don't get forgetful!)

Did you know that besides kettlebells, a pull up bar, the occasional "evil wheel", battling ropes, and some fun things from my friends at StrongerGrip.com, my training arsenal also includes something surprising—a video camera.

This is a tip I picked up on waaay back in the days of VHS and Hi-8. Videotape yourself performing whatever movement or exercise you're trying to troubleshoot. This is especially useful for people training remotely or independently.  If something just doesn't "feel right" I