The War Machine or CrossCore 180 represents so much of what FisioNostra is about. Practicing movement to achieve functional movement that is fluid, flowing, accurate, precise, full of intent and purpose. Functional movement is dynamic, rotational, variable in speed and intensity: we recommend use of bodyweight, dynamic resistance (kettlebells), and bodyweight plus eg. the WarMachine.
At FisioNostra where we have a mix of clients following a path of rehabilitation and those focussed on improving sports/functional performance right from the outset we quickly educate them that the WarMachine we use in our centre is accessible to all!
Whatever label you choose the challenge of “pulling the pin” remains. Rotational movement is available once control of simple symmetrical movement has been achieved – rotation/spin/twist and turn is what the human animal does and needs to maintain and improve.
I find it interesting that guys are killing themselves in the gym to get huge, but some women are afraid to pick up anything heavier than a pink dumbbell for fear of getting too huge.
The reality is that most guys need to check their ego and cut back on the weight and focus on fixing their skitzoid form. Most women need to lift heavier.
When a woman athlete asks me how heavy the kettlebell she is working with, my standard answer is 16. They carry on knocking out KB swings no problem. Most are then shocked that it was actually 16 KILOGRAMS (about 35 pounds) since they did not believe they could lift that much. I tried telling a few how much it was in pounds before they started in the past and I had one that refused to try it since she was already convinced that they could not do it. Remember, the body does what the mind believes.
Muscle is more DENSE than fat, so it takes up less space for the same amount of weight. It also is a primary regulator of your metabolic rate; so more muscle = more caloires burned while NOT exercising. I have yet to meet one female athlete that wants to live the rest of her life only eating 1,000 calories a day. More muscle = the more you can eat and still fit in your skinny jeans.
Below is a video of some female kettlebell Sport lifters. This is one of the events often found in womens competitive kettlebell lifting - a relatively new sport in the West - 10 minute effort of clean and jerk with one kettlebell weighing 16kgs. Hee you will see that they are pushing themselves way more than some guys do at the gym and pushing a 16kg weight for 10 mins is no mean feat and none of them are remotely close to being too big; so relax and go lift some heavy stuff.
Are you new to Kettlebells, looking to improve your technique, looking to add kettlebells to your training regime and don't know how to, interested in coming to one of our Kettlebell Workshop then get in contact with me, Ato Chandler.
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Quite some time back I was asked by Aerobic & Fitness Barcelona to present their first Kettlebell Workshop and Masterclass in Spain. I knew it would be a great opportunity for Fisionostra Barcelona to get its name out there and also to show them what kettlebells are really about so I jumped at the opportunity. Paid flights to Madrid, luxury hotel accomodation the scene was all set for a great weekend. It was'nt the first time I've been to Madrid but funnily enough it all seemed knew again. The masterclass and workshop went down really well it was a hard-working and enthusiastic group. There were fitness trainers from everywhere from Granada, Malaga, Galicia, Zaragoza all the corners of Spain so it was a great challenge for me to understand their different them and of course for them to understand me speaking in Spanish. The whole weekend went well, next step lets conquer the whole of Spain!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Thanks to Chris Willoughby and Jonathon Lewis at Balance Performance Physiotherapy who supplied this post for us at LondonGym
Trunk and shoulder strength...stability, control, power and agility through a full range. Remember this is part of the mans daily conditioning session, its not a performance in itself. His intention is trunk/core/shoulder girdle strength and control.
For those who dont believe the pectorals and lats are involved in shoulder stability watch this a few times and observe closely.
