Motor City Kettlebells

If you’ve ever lived in or currently live in Michigan or a neighboring state, you start thinking about the Fall the moment that August rolls around. It’s a sobering feeling; my friends who are Teachers start dreading the upcoming change in their daily schedules. Some days are extremely hot while other days make you reach in the closet for a jacket. Also, you’re stricken by a sense of urgency to do everything you can outdoors before it gets cold.

The silver lining in all of this? There’s still time! Time to get outdoors, ramp up your work out, hang out at the Farmer’s Market for fresh produce, etc. So far, August weather has put me in the mind of weather in San Diego, CA. Not too hot, roughly around 78 degrees and I love it! I’ve spent more time running outdoors than I did in the month of July.

My plan this week is to begin focusing on maintaining a consistent routine that takes into consideration the shorter days. Since I normally work out in the early evenings during the week it means getting started a little earlier as the hours of day light get shorter.  Also, this means ramping up my meal planning efforts as the change of season usually makes me eat out less. My food choices will be relatively the same with an increase in Spinach, Carrots and Artichokes as we get closer to the Fall.

As for exercise, I’ll continue my 3-4 mile run followed by a 20 minute stretch and 30 minute kettle bell circuit. The CRIM Festival of Races is weeks away so I’m focusing on my cardiovascular endurance as well as muscle endurance in my legs. My kettlebell circuit will include the following:

• 2 minutes of two hand Swings
• 3 sets of Dive Bombers
• 2 minutes of alternating one arm Swings
• 30 Goblet Squats
• 1 minute of Figure Eights
• 30 Romanian Deadlifts
• 2 minutes of one arm Snatches (alternating)

I’ll be repeating this circuit three times. My point here is to work on both my aerobic as well as anaerobic capacity. Often times on long runs even if your lungs can handle the pace your legs feel like they’re ready to “call it quits.” This work out is quick and easy and allows you to both enjoy the outdoor days we have left while getting a solid work out in. Enjoy!

I’m so excited about Comrade Ben’s first Kettlebell competition this Saturday at the North American Outlaw Kettlebell Competition. If you’ve seen this cat in action you know he’s going to give fellow competitors a run for their money. He’ll be competing in the Long Cycle competition.

The Long Cycle is a very tricky lift as it requires a lot of coordination and timing throughout your entire body for maximum efficiency. When Ben first started working out with me, we focused primarily on foundation; swings, pull-ups, cleans, presses, etc. Well, the clean and press became his strong suit! He was pressing until the cows came home!! This makes the long cycle a bit of an adjustment for a couple of reasons. One, the long cycle is basically a clean and jerk which means pressing will fatigue your arms at a much faster rate. Try doing clean and presses for five to ten minutes (snatch size kettlebell) and your triceps will be smoked!! Well, now that I think about it Ben is an exception. Anyways the other reason is that the long cycle is an endurance lift so technique can make the difference between going for 3 minutes vs. 10 minutes no matter how strong you are.

Its hard taming your body to explode from the hips and catapult two kettlebells over your head to a lock out position, then as efficiently as possible, bring them down to a rack position. Very different execution and application as the long cycle technique is designed for doing as many as you possibly can. I’m happy to say that Ben has risen to the occasion, setting aside all that I drilled into his mind for the clean and press to deliver an ever improving clean and jerk. If you’re in the area, please come down and support Ben and the team. The event will be held at Hyperfit USA, 670 Airport Blvd Suites 3 & 4, Ann Arbor, MI 48108.

This site is dedicated to my passion for Kettlebells and an active lifestyle. Thanks for visiting and please contact me with anything that crosses your mind as it relates to Kettlebells and your endeavors to keep raising the bar in your healthy and active lifestyle.