I’ve recently become one of those parents on the sidelines watching their kids play sports. It’s super exciting, but I’ve seen a lot of things I don’t like when it comes to coaching kids. Things that are going to end kids’ sporting careers before they even get started. Although my kids are only a couple years into youth sports, I have personally been a coach for over 12 years. So I see things a little bit differently. I look at…
by Karen Anderson I first learned about kettlebells back in the late 1990’s / early 2000’s. I was training in Tang Soo Do, a traditional Korean martial art at a dojang just outside of Philadelphia. A guest instructor visited one day to teach us some drills to help with our conditioning for sparring. He casually mentioned an old Russian strength-training implement that had recently been introduced in the United States. He explained that martial artists in the U.S. were…
It should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with StrongFirst principles that the way we use a kettlebell has application to most any sport. There simply is no tool better for strength & conditioning than the kettlebell and StrongFirst leads the way for this training modality. What is lesser known is how the kettlebell can be used in strength sports, a realm where the barbell reigns king. Of course it’s obvious that when you compete with a barbell…
This past weekend I was in Chicago for the StrongFirst SFG Kettlebell certification at the “Dome of Strength”. It’s an indoor baseball stadium, a pressurized Dome, that for the past 5 years has hosted SFG level 1 & 2 certifications. This year we had over 120 people certifying including about 30 instructors from all over the world. As an assistant instructor, I was there assist at the Level 1 and sharpen my own skills by recertifying both my level…
by June Duncan Maintaining independence and enjoying your usual activities can be difficult as you age. Many key aspects of your health may begin to deteriorate, and you may find yourself with things like heart trouble, brittle bones, impaired balance, and general overall fatigue, which can severely restrict freedom of movement and make it hard to enjoy life. Fortunately, there’s an exercise option that addresses all of these conditions and more. Strength training is fun, and you can do…
Fat Bell Swing OTL Variations Outside the Leg Swing – way better with a Fat Bell than a kettlebell! I never liked doing OTL swings with a kettlebell because the ball is put right in the path of the knee. So if you make a mistake, you’re taking out your knee joint. With a Fat Bell, even if you make a mistake, you’re only going to make contact with your thigh. So it’s a safer movement, and maybe even…
Innovation in strength training doesn’t happen often when it comes to “free weights”. Other than barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells, what else is there? Machines and odd-objects aside, there’s only so many ways to put a handle on a weight and lift it. For over a century, the barbell has reigned king, and rightfully so. There’s simply no better way to lift the most weight possible than with two hands on a plate loaded bar. That doesn’t mean the dumbbell…
I’m calling out all of the athletes and fitness people who are comparing their bodies to Donald Trump – we get it, you don’t like the president. But unless you’re in your 70’s as well, it’s kinda silly. Even if you are a buff senior citizen, when did it become OK to make fun of someone elses body? This will be the first time I’ve come out and defended the president online, but people shouldn’t be cutting the…
by Åsa House While I know most of you don’t really worry about the holiday’s and feel confident you will be able to stick to your routine, it could still be an idea to come into the season with a plan. The more prepared you are the more likelihood you will succeed. I will share with you some simple tips that might come in handy when gathering for family meals and also ideas for those days in between when…
Health and fitness does not mean being skinny. There’s a standard in today’s culture that ties health, fitness and beauty into being lean. A toned body is a healthy body, right? A flat stomach and 6 pack abs is the epitome of fitness, right? Everybody wants to be skinny, right? Not so much. For a large majority of the population, having a flat stomach is unrealistic. And for some people, to be this lean would be down right unhealthy!…