THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD STRENGTH TRAIN

Initially I began strength training to get out of pain. Before learning to strength train all I ever did was run and I ran a lot.  My quads did all the work and eventually my knees just couldn't take it anymore. Learning to strengthen my glutes and posterior chain with single single leg exercises like step ups, single leg deadlifts and lunging variations eventually allowed me to run again. Bottom line: getting stronger fixes everything.

Now that I was no longer in pain I realized what lifting was doing for my body aesthetically.  I no longer had a pancake ass and I could see new muscles in my back. I had curves for the first time in my life! I had never seen results like this with running or traditional cardio. Eventually I explored the big lifts i.e. squats, bench + deadlift and the results kept coming. The heavy lifting got my core even stronger than before and my body kept on changing for the better.  I was exercising less than I ever had previously believed could yield such amazing results.

The strength I have gained has made my day to day life easier.  I no longer need multiple trips when I go grocery shopping (can we say farmers carries),  moving furniture is easier, I can put my suitcase in the overhead compartment with ease and sprint to catch the train without feeling like I'm about to die!

Ok so strength training can keep you out of pain, it can shape your body like you never thought possible AND make your day to day life easier! Are you sold on getting stronger yet?

I have one more benefit for you and in my opinion it far outweighs all the rest.  The best possible reason to start strength training is the fact that it genuinely makes life better.  All the things that make life amazing, the adventures and explorations are all more accessible. Whether its surfing, stand up paddleboarding, hiking, sprinting with your dog or snowboarding. The more you can get out there and enjoy life the better I promise!

DO YOU EVEN WARM-UP BRO?

Your warmup is the most important part of your workout - when done right it activates the central nervous system, getting your your muscles ready for what's to come and, ultimately, prevents injury.

The best kind of warmup is sequenced and performed dynamically.

Here is a basic warmup sequence that I recommend to undo habitual patterning in the body (sitting, sleeping, hunching ) and to elevate the heart-rate. Think of it as peeling back the layers + getting your body warm so you can access your core and glutes... which goes a long way in helping you move better.

After foam rolling your tight areas...
Give this sequence a go before your next workout:

Want to get your heart rate up just a bit more? Give this 3 min total body kettlebell circuit a go to feel connected and ready to lift! Just set your timer for 25 seconds work and 5 seconds rest and get going.

Give it a try this weekend and let me know how it goes!

It's not WHAT you do, it's HOW you do it

I love the basics... because they work!

With the use of effective cues and techniques the basics can give you more results than you ever thought possible.

Mountain climbers are used in every bootcamp and DVD you have ever seen. This is because they are a great bodyweight conditioning drill that hit the core and upper body with little to no equipment. 

The problem with mountain climbers is the fact that most peoples' asses are bouncing up in the air, hips are swaying and the exercise becomes a shoulder blaster more than anything else.

Here are 2 easy ways Stacey Schaedler Strength has changed up the mountain climber to give you more bang for your buck.  Progression 2 promises to make your core nice and sore tomorrow ;)

Progression 1- All you really need are rags on a smooth surface/ plastic plates on a rug; valsides or a slideboard.  

                                                       (Note: perform one side at a time i.e. 15 left side followed by 15 right side.)

Progression 2- A variety of different bands work well here and can be attached beneath a bench, door frame or squat rack.

                                                    (Note: wrists and shoulders in a line. Contract straight leg glute to extend the hip as you                                                      flex opposite knee into chest. Perform one side for 15 reps and then 15 on the other side.)

Give these a shot and let me know how it goes! 

Squat Prep

I like squats because they work my entire body. However, sometimes when I do them, they just don't feel as good as I know they can.

Here are 4 exercises that I've sequenced (in a specific order) to make my squats feel better. They help me engage the right muscles, ultimately making me stronger and allowing me to get into the proper position!

(This can work for body weight squats, goblet squats, or barbell back squats.)

1. Release the glutes with this.

2. Release the calves and increase ankle mobility with this.

for those of you who love Tater and want to laugh watch THIS blooper video.

3. Increase thoracic mobility and warm-up the legs with these.

4. Tie it all together with your core and upper back with these!

HAPPY SQUATTING!
As always let me know if you have any questions :)

Yoga and Strength Training: the ultimate complement!

Long time no see! Wanted to let you know that I have not been slacking off and that LIFE IS GOOD!

Business is great, love is in the air and I could not be happier than I am right now :D  I am turning 30 in just one week so look for some exciting stuff to be coming your way! Website and newsletter updates, Progress not perfection baseball tees and more! I have been A LOT more active on social media these days so come follow me here if you want to know what I have been up to!

Wanted to share with you a few articles I have written over the past few months for Girls Gone Strong and Juggernaut Training Systems if you have not yet hopped on to the YOGA and STRENGTH TRAINING band wagon!

Here's an excerpt from my 3 Types of Yoga for the GIRL GONE STRONG

One of my favorite things to say is, “everything you do, you must undo.”

I like to think of my strength training as doing and my yoga as undoing.  I seek balance when comes to strength and flexibility.  When our strength overpowers our flexibility, tension is the result, and when our flexibility surpasses our strength, instability remains. Both tension and instability are weak links, which limit your ultimate potential.

When I was first introduced to yoga almost 10 years ago, it was a Power Vinyasa flow, full of intensity.  I loved every second of it.  As a kettlebell girl, I instantly saw the way the two schools of thought could complement one another; moving through my full range of motion, developing flexibility, mobility and isometric strength.

I saw how my yoga practice could actually cut down on my warm up time at the gym. This newly found ankle and thoracic mobility, shoulder stability, as well as hip flexibility was definitely a win-win.  I dove into practicing this vigorous yoga 3 days a week and strength trained 3-4 days a week.  Unfortunately this combination wreaked havoc on my adrenals.  Not exactly what you want when your goal is to get stronger!

What I really needed was something to BALANCE me out, a practice that would complement my lifting and make me stronger than ever, something to further connect my breath and body and allow me to relax instead of always going, going, going!

Remember, yoga should complement, not compete with, your existing training.

Read the rest here!

Yoga for Athletes Part 1 was another  attempt to get more MEN and strong ladies to give yoga a try!  
Again here's a little piece of the article

Repeat after me:  “EVERYTHING YOU DO, YOU MUST UNDO.”

Yoga is a tool used by the self to identify deficiencies. The more you are aware of your asymmetries from left to right within your body, the more aware you will be underneath the bar. Next time you go to squat you’ll be spreading your feet beneath you, using your breath to back your lifts and hitting PR’s you never thought possible!

Oh and there are FEW things that feels better the day after an intense training session than active recovery with YOGA. It just feels so DAMN good.

 2.     MOBILITY + FLEXIBILITY + STABILITY

Mobility and flexibility are often lumped together but in reality are two very different things.  And then stability comes in and really complicates things.

Mobility pertains to the motion we are able to CONTROL around a joint.

Flexibility is the movement that is POSSIBLE around a joint.

Stability is established with both active and passive influences.

As an athlete you need something to balance out your strength and explosive power. Yoga does just that.

It boosts flexibility while challenging stability at the same time. Take your hamstrings for example.  They may feel tight, simply because your body is attempting to create stability where it’s missing. Doing just a static stretch will not engage the core and will actually cause more instability and possibly injure you.

Are you seeing a common trend here?

TRUST ME GIVE this combo a try!

Smarter Training for Longevity

When will this be the "IN" thing?

With Crossfit, Spartan Races and Tough Mudders all the rage;
what total body crushing, leave you breathless phenomenon will come next?

I have nothing against any of these I just need those of you partaking in them to understand the importance of RECOVERY.

I GUARANTEE that RECOVERY is the MOST UNDERUSED TOOL in YOUR fitness toolbox.
We all have ONE body in this life and we don't want to damage it to the point of no return!
Here are TWO easy ways to train smarter starting NOW.

1. Whether it be yoga, foam rolling and self myofascial release, regular massage, or meditation.

These tools all enable your body restore. 

This is not being lazy. It’s called being SMART.

If you don't already have one get yourself a FOAM ROLLER, and get started with this

Position yourself with front of thighs on the roller. Make sure you keep your  core and glutes tight, as to protect the lower back. You may be on hands or forearms. Roll down and up the entirety of the thigh, stopping along points that seem especially tight.

Roll from pelvic bone to knee, emphasizing the lateral aspect of the thigh. When you find a point that is especially tight ( could be the whole thing) hang out there and breathe.

2. In order to stay progressive with your strength be sure to program a de-load week into your routine. 

Again this is not being lazy it's called being SMART. 

Use this to get stronger each block, not plateau or get injured!

Take PLANNED time off and get stronger OR train hard all the time, get sick and be FORCED to take time off and steps backwards. 

Hmm sounds like a no brainer to me.

Whether or not you choose to think of it this way 

EXERCISE IS INTENTIONAL STRESS ON THE BODY. 

When you have work stress, financial stress, kid stress…. 

Ever think you might need some restoration to balance out your body?!?!

This goes for both males and females but I want to strongly emphasize this for my LADIES.

FORGET GETTING LEAN in a constant state of stress.

Those daily killer workouts with no end in sight will eventually cause adrenal fatigue. 

YOUR BODY WILL ACTUALLY HOLD ON TO EXCESS BODY FAT.

Which means no matter how "clean you eat" or how"hard you train"  you will not see the results you are working so hard/suffering for.

YOU NEED MORE RECOVERY!

For almost a decade I have deemed kettlebells and yoga the ultimate compliment to each other.  Any sort of intense strength training needs to be balanced out.

Something as simple as 2-4 days of strength and 1-2 days of yoga. 

Throughout the years my style of training has evolved but ONE thing has remained the same.

The body needs BALANCE in order to THRIVE on this LONG HAUL called life.

Not sure how to get started with yoga? Still not thoroughly convinced?

MORE ON THAT NEXT!

HOW TO TGU LIKE A BOSS

-guest post written for Chad Smith and Juggernaut Training Systems!

The Turkish Get Up is by far the most intricate of all the kettlebell lifts. Many will argue that it is the most complex lift around, seeing as it requires the entire body to work together in order to complete. It also happens to be my favorite. 

Whether you are a newbie or a seasoned athlete the get up is comprised of many steps and the mastery of the TGU does not happen overnight.  I have been “get uping” for years and I am still a work in progress.

Benefits of learning and practicing the Turkish Get Up:

-improved shoulder and hip mobility

-improved shoulder and hip stability

- development of true core strength and stability

- increased shoulder range of motion (shoulder rehab)

- increased grip strength

- strong and solid shoulders

- improved ability to overhead press

- increased coordination

-improved posture

Whether you are a power lifter, yogi, fighter, bodybuilder, strongman, or runner, the TGU can help YOU!

*How you incorporate this lift to your program will depend on your goals and current training regimen.

There are a few different ways to perform the Turkish Get Up out there.  My preference is the “hardstyle” get up with 3 point bridge and it is what I will be demoing.

TGU with a kettlebell

As a beginner I suggest that you perfect the “naked get up” first before moving on to using a weight. This ensures proper shoulder packing as well as postioning for when the kettlebell is introduced.

Naked TGU

Maintaining proper shoulder position throughout the 7 steps of the get up can prove difficult for clients with limited shoulder MOBILITY as well as those with shoulder STABILITY issues. For these folks the kettlebell arm bar is an awesome set up exercise for the Turkish Get Up. 

Kettlebell Arm bar

The top 5 mistakes I see with beginners and the TGU are…

1) Broken Wrist

Remember to grip the handle HARD.

2) Lack of shoulder packing

Try to feel your shoulder blade lie flat on the floor keeping shoulder away from ear.

3) Splaying of ribcage in the half kneeling position and driving off back leg to stand.

Instead, utilize the core to maintain a tall spine and drive through the front heel.

4) Arching into the low back on the way back down.

Your hand placement should allow the leg to move freely underneath your hips.

5) Loss of shoulder pack/straining the neck to look up at the bell in the standing position.

Remember to keep tight through the core and keep your eyes on the bell at all times EXCEPT from ½ kneeling to standing position.

Almost every one of my clients will utilize SOME part of the TGU within their program. If they aren’t performing the entire Turkish Get Up because of some limitation you bet they are:

-overhead pressing in the half kneeling position

-performing the first three steps of the get up to the high bridge for reps

-completing overhead waiters walks for time

After all, gaining shoulder, hip and core stability as well as t-spine and hip extension are all highly coveted advantages of learning this lift. It’s also fun to show off your strength with some heavy get ups every now and then!

Enough of me, here’s one of my clients performing the Turkish Get Up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXSn2JqFWH4&list=UULmB9DA7WZGCtUGHccIGwVA

AHHH the pelvis...to TILT or not to TILT

I want to spin off of an article I recently read.  The following topic is something I encounter weekly if not daily, now that I run my business out of a yoga studio.

The issue of a neutral pelvic tilt…what is it?

A natural neutral pelvis supports a small arch in the low back so that your body is able to support and connect your upper body and lower body, as well as move you.

Therefore to state that a neutral pelvis is actually in an anterior pelvic tilt is in fact correct.

Men and women differ in degrees of what is considered a neutral pelvis in each gender. Women can get away with slightly more of an anterior tilt since a women’s pelvis is designed to support pregnancy, while a man’s pelvis does not.

Now I am going to go ahead and make two generalizations here. 

*If a client or student works at a desk or sits all day the likelihood that their pelvis will be posterior is greater.

*On the other hand if you are teaching a group of high-level athletes, then chances are higher that you will see more anterior tilts.

In reality every pelvis is a little different. One exercise could work wonders for one individual while causing pain for another.

Your best bet as a health professional is to get comfortable palpating the bony prominences that together create the “pelvic tilt”.  Eyeballing is simply not enough. The PSIS is at one end point of the iliac crest on the back side, they appear as two small bumps. The ASIS is the end point on the front side of your pelvis, these are larger and easy to find with you follow the iliac crest all the way forward.

Chances are if your ass is as flat as a pancake you have a posterior tilt going on and your hamstrings do all the work leaving you with a sad excuse for an ass. HOWEVER I have had female clients with nice C shaped bums that would appear to most to have anterior tilts …that were actually posterior!  Ahhh you see I am full of contradictions  :P

Get comfortable, touch yourself so that you can in turn palpate others or instruct clients and or students to get a little “hands on” with themselves.

That being said I see a ton of former dancers, gymnasts, as well as yoga enthusiasts at the yoga studio.  I work to create pelvic stability both bilaterally and unilaterally so that the core is able to fire properly and clients are far less likely to complain of SI Joint discomfort.  In addition I strengthen their posterior chain so that the hamstrings and glutes are firing properly as well as to protect them from a hamstring strain.

Here’s where I confuse some yoga practitioners.

I instruct yogi’s to arch hard when they dead -lift. This throws them for a loop seeing as “tucking your tail” is so common in the yoga world.

As you can see NO ONE RULE applies to every situation…such is life :P

As long as we can create strength and stability through a sound range of motion we will be activating the core musculature that is necessary for supporting a healthy pelvis.

Can we make sure we throw in some ABS today?!?!

On a daily basis I hear this question. OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Clients that I have trained for years know better, but newbies are still hanging on to this idea.

After having had this request for years I started to pay attention to when the clients were asking for ABS. 

Low and behold it was frequently after a vacation or a long weekend.

...The vacation and long weekend where they didn't eat as clean as usual and maybe indulged a lot more than they should have.

Please tell me how feeling fat coincides with wanting to do this.

Clean up your diet first. This is the hard part. It takes time and effort and planning ahead but I assure you you can do it.

I got tons of questions on how I got "ripped abs" for my show.
Well I'll tell you one thing.
I didn't do a single crunch.
I did a whole lot of big lifts and used my core in all planes of motion.
Here is a MUST READ article courtesy of Mike Robertson.
Do me a favor and try some of these INSTEAD of those crunches I see you all doing ;)

It has definitely been a crazy few weeks and trying to reestablish life as I knew it before has proven difficult.  I have not been as dedicated to my yoga practice as I would like to be and it is showing in my moods.  My mind has been getting the best of me more often then usual and that as you know DOES NOT WORK IN YOUR FAVOR.
Right now I am in my hypertrophy phase of strength training and I am eating like a horse. What a mind f*ck!  I just keep telling myself that I need to eat to lift and lift for strength so that when I lean out again there is a nice surprise underneath :)
I went to my first yoga class in a long time last night, it was beyond amazing. Beyond healing, beyond exactly what I needed :)
It was interesting to observe the changes that were going on in my yoga practice as well...
 and observe is what I did.

I didn't judge...in fact I laughed about it.


Physically I felt stronger than ever, I could have held those 1/2 pushups all night ;0
My breath on the other hand was as shallow as it has ever been. My exhales were long but my inhales were stifled.  This is what I must be breathing like throughout the day....thus my wonderful moods and crazy brain.

The craziest discovery was yet to come. TWISTING. I couldn't twist for SHIT.  It was not my thoracic it was my stomach.  

YES this was me before my second show. NO this is not me now. But my stomach is definitely still feeling the effects of being so tight.

A lot of us want a 6 pack, but do we ever think that maybe its not so functional after all?

I ended up having an amazingly different experience in class because of my struggle with breath and inability to twist. I take it as a reminder of where I have been and the level I have gotten to.

For now I will keep breathing, ease into my twists and continue to backbend even though I feel like I'm being stretched on the RACK!  

My yoga practice lets me be me.  It allows me to be in my body, feel strong, and express myself and realize all that is important to me.

Perfect Quotation to explain my recent feelings:

We can only see so much from where we sit in our particular bodies, in the midst of our particular lives. The divine is unlimited in its sight. We can only see so much from where we sit in our particular bodies, in the midst of our particular lives, rooted as we are in the continuum of space and time. The divine, on the other hand, is not limited to the constructs of either space or time, and its wisdom and workings often elude us as we try to make sense of what is happening in our lives. This is why things are not always what they seem to be and even the best-laid plans are sometimes overturned. Even when we feel we have been guided by our intuition every step of the way, we may find ourselves facing unexpected loss and disappointment. At times like these, we can find some solace in trusting that no matter how bad or just plain inexplicable things look from our perspective, they are, in fact, in divine order. Even as we take our places in this earthly realm, a part of us remains completely free of the confines we face here. Regardless of what is happening in our lives, this part of us remains infused with joy and gratitude, connected to the unbroken source from which we come. Our small self, on the other hand, who is caught up in our false identity as a being limited in space and time, regards happiness as the result of things going the way it wants them to go. It is this part of us that suffers the greatest confusion and upset when the logic of events does not compute. And it is to this self that we must extendunconditional love, forgiveness, and compassion. In order to do this, we tap into our inner divinity, holding the space of a tender authority, extendinglove and light to our ego as a mother extends her love to a troubled child. There are many ways to access our inner divinity—meditation, prayer, chanting, channeling, and conscious breathing, to name a few. It is helpful to develop a regular practice that provides us access to this all-powerful, healing presence, as it can be difficult to reach once we are in a stressful position, if we have not already established a connection. The more connected we are with this part of ourselves, the more we share its unlimited vision and the secure, knowing that all the things of our life, no matter how they appear, are in a state of divine and perfect order. 

Thanks Jeannie Parkus ;)

WHY ROW?

A body row is essentially a push up turned upside down.
It can be done by virtually ANYONE, as it achieves a strong rowing action without any stress to the lower back.
You can set the handles high, and position the feet so you are more upright, so the row is easy. Or you could set up so your arms hang straight down from the handles, and elevate your feet on a plyo box, and the row is much more difficult.
Some crazy folks can even keep their feet in the air, so that their entire body weight is in their hands....I consider that to be one of the hardest pulling exercises!

Whether you have access to a Smith Machine, a Squat Rack, some Bandit Loops, a TRX or a VERSUS, you can easily incorporate this into your routine.

Don't worry about "out growing" this exercise, as you can imagine are PLENTY of ways to make it more difficult ;)

Seeing as your strength training workouts HOPEFULLY consist of a push, a pull, a squat or a lunge and a core exercise.... the body row can add variety to your pull choices!

Another important reason to incorporate the row is the fact that you probably sit at a desk or in a car for SEVERAL hours a day, 5 days a week, so strengthening the awareness in your upper back
while improving your posture might just be what you need :)

There are also different ways to grip the bar or the handles while you are performing your body row. Whether its underhand, overhand, mixed grip, internal or external rotational as you pull in...I promise new muscles will be worked.

Back to Basics

The basic plank hold and its variations are simply the best core stabilization and strength exercises you can start with!
Upper push up position starts with the shoulders and wrists aligned, abs braced, ass squeezed and neither too high nor too low.
I like to think of the floor pushing against me and me pushing back against the floor with my fingers spread. I also reach through my heels ;)

The mountain climber is also a great core exercise! It is so versatile that it can be used as a metabolic exercise as well :0 In the photos I am performing mt. climbers on a slide board.
A slide board is a great tool to have on hand. If you have wooden floors you can put hand towels underneath your feet, or use a valside, if you have a carpeted area.
Instead of bumping up and down with your bum in the air, the slide board mt. climber forces you to really stabilize and engage your lower abs as you bring your knees into your chest one at a time.
Once you perfect this move you can bring your knee to opposite elbow or bring both knees into a pike position :)

More On Your Core

Core Training as been the talk of the town as of late, popping into the news, as well as magazines and infomercials.

Thanks to Angus for finding this one, it backs up everything we do here YIPPPEEEEE

http://runningmagazine.ca/2009/06/sections/health-nutrition/body-work/injury-prevention-and-strength-gains-functional-abs/