OPTI Kettlebells

When I first started working with kettlebells a few years ago, I ran into some serious blister and callous issues while working out my technique-especially with the snatch. There was a point, when I was training for the RKC snatch test, that I had several open wounds on each hand. I had to apply “new skin”, take breaks from training, and wrap my hands with cotton and athletic tape. It was a mess! I aim to spare you all that misery by educating you on proper hand care. Many of you have already complained of callous discomfort and the impending formation of blisters. Let’s put the issue to rest by following these simple steps.

1. Proper Form

No method of hand protection or care can replace proper form. Ballistic drills (such as swings, snatches and push presses) require a loose grip, particularly in the “hook” of the hand. Gripping tightly in the palm when performing ballistic drills will cause friction, blistering and tearing of skin and callouses. The “grinds”, such as presses and TGU’s, require a tight, crushing grip, deep in the palm of the hand. This is to increase stability and neuromuscular connection. Understanding the difference between these two grips is integral to the success of your training and the health of your hands. However, no one has perfect form right out of the gate, and we all make mistakes. While you are learning, it is appropriate to use minimal hand care to help ward off blisters and callous tears.

2. Chalk

I am a big proponent of chalk. We use it constantly. Sweaty, clammy hands will cause you to change your grip to avoid losing the bell, which will in turn, increase the opportunity for improper form and torn skin. If it’s available to you, use it. Chalk is your friend.

3. Filing/Shaving Callouses

This step cannot be skipped. Ever. Callouses are important, and we need and want them. However, we do not want them to get out of control because that is when they get pinched and ultimately tender and blistered. Use a pumice or pedicure tool to file them down smooth at least every other day in the shower. This will drastically reduce the chance of tearing them. I have heard the Ped Egg is a good choice, however I have yet to experiment with it. The best option I have personally used is the Revlon PediExpert. Simply leave the tool in the shower (the skin needs to be moist), and gently file down the callouses until they are about level with the rest of the skin.

4. Sock Gloves

Tracy Reifkind first came up with this idea to protect the hands during long swing intervals. I have changed it a bit to suit my needs. Simply take a crew sock (I prefer to use a child’s sock to form a tighter glove) and cut off the foot portion. Then make a small slit to insert your thumb into. This provides a thin buffer between your skin and the iron handle, allowing you to grip lightly and avoid irritating tender skin. Gloves are not appropriate for kettlebell training (or ANY strength and power training for that matter) as they decrease dexterity and neural stimulation. The sock glove is a good option, but is not to be constantly relied upon. Rather, it should be used out of necessity when learning to snatch, or when protecting tender skin is necessary in order to avoid a lapse in training.

5. Athletic Tape

Tape is great for protecting small areas that need to be covered, especially around the knuckles. It can be cumbersome, and sweat often changes its stickiness and orientation. So it should be used sparingly, and only under my supervision. I have found Johnson and Johnson to be the best brand.

Hopefully this has been informative and helpful. The last thing you want is another (avoidable) hurdle between you and your goals. Training is all about improving your well-being and health-not causing unnecessary pain. PLEASE take care of your hands! As always, I am readily available to assist in any way whatsoever. My ultimate goal is to help you with yours!

Happy New Year, friends!

I hope you all enjoyed holidays filled with love, happiness and laughter, and refrained from indulging too much. I spent the last week in New York City, sampling some of the best food I have ever eaten, and taking a much-needed week off from training. With that said, I am ready to kick off the new year stronger, leaner and healthier! Are you with me?

Let’s take a moment here to resolve to get STRONG. Not just our muscles, but our minds too. Let’s resolve to build a mental toughness and a no-nonsense committment level that will help us achieve physical strength and power, as well as fat loss and good health. You are all so very amazing in so many different ways, and I implore you to take those amazing qualities of determination, patience, competitiveness, etc, and apply them to your training. Come to class. Every week. Two to four times a week. Eat real food, but not too much. Drink water. Sleep a lot. Be happy! The recipe for success is very simple :).

Make 2011 the year of a “stronger you” in every way. Start by making a committment to your body, because a healthy body promotes a healthy mind and vice versa. Don’t make excuses about missing classes, and make class a priority. Strong people don’t make excuses-they make things happen. If you want a strong, lean, resilient body you can make it happen.

In June of 2010, I started this group program with the hopes of reaching out to more people with our unique and systematic training methodology. Since then I have watched the program grow more than I had ever hoped, and I have watched each and every one of you grow with it. To say I am proud would be an understatement. I am honored, and humbled to be your coach, and excited to start a new year with you.

This year, many exciting things are happening. OPTI will open its private facility doors this spring, bringing with it a host of new opportunities and programs. I will also begin teaching metabolic conditioning classes to round out the group program, and I’ve got lots of fun stuff up my sleeve. Thank you for joining me on this journey, and for allowing me to share my passion with you.

Here’s to a stronger you!

Myself and fellow RKCII, Fawn Friday, performing the viking push press at level 2. Fawn is a powerlifter, who has dead lifted 315!

My friend and colleague, Dewey Nielson, of Impact Jiu Jitsu and Performance Training in Oregon, posted this blog yesterday about “Strong Women”. It features yours truly! I am always so honored when other professionals find my training efforts to be inspiring enough to share with others. There are two other strong, beautiful women featured in the post as well. You all know how adamant I am about being training to be strong, not “toned”, and how much I expect out of my ladies! You ladies (and men too) continue to impress me every single day, and I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to educate you about true strength and conditioning. Training is so much more than losing body fat, or gaining lean mass. Physical strength inspires mental and emotional strength, and the capability to endure and persevere.

Just this week, Phyllis S., Mina N. and Denise D. pressed a 12kg bell multiple times! Mina and Peggy B. are swinging bells as heavy as most of the guys. Ally B. is fairly new and is doing the TGU with a 12kg! Naymar H. and Donnella J., despite having back issues, are getting stronger, moving better, and on their way to eliminating back pain. I have several ladies in my beginner class who are already swinging a 16kg bell, and I am just floored with all of you amazing women and your progress.

Please take a moment to check out Dewey’s Blog, and see what other amazing, inspiring ladies are doing! Remember, strong is sexy!

…and kettlebells can get you there.

Recently a very good friend of mine decided she might pick up kettlebell training to battle the onset of body fat that she has finally chosen to face. She asked me for advice on how to begin, because I am an RKC II and a Performance Training Specialist-and I just plain like to lift heavy things. “What size kettlebell should I start with?”, she asked. The choice was between 7 pounds or 10 pounds. Bless her heart, but I had to chuckle. My four year old son could train with a 7 pound kettlebell! It’s not her fault though-she’d always been told to “lift light”. 

This is yet another example of the common misconceptions of strength training as it relates to females. We are under the impression that we should lift tiny pink weights in order to get “toned” or we shouldn’t lift weights at all and we should stick to yoga or pilates for “long, lean muscles”. Don’t get me wrong, yoga is GREAT for so many reasons, but it won’t get you the body you want and it won’t get you crazy strong. Unfortunately though, an alarmingly large percentage of women think if they lift heavy weights they will get “big” or “bulky”.

I’m here to tell you that is complete BS. I am extremely passionate on the subject of women and strength training because once upon time I was a girl with a lot of these common misconceptions, training inefficiently and nowhere near maximizing my athletic or aesthetic potential. Now, not only do I maintain 13-14% body fat and an athletic physique, but I have accomplished things with my body that I never even imagined. Such as: deadlifting 250 pounds, strict pullups witha 16kg kettlebell, pistols with a 24kg kettlebell, single leg deadlifting 135 pounds and snatching a 60 pound dumbbell-all at 123 pounds body weight. Those examples are not intended to brag or boast by any means, but rather to drive home the point that ANYTHING is possible. If I can do it-anyone can.

Lifting heavy (heavy is relative) and training intelligently hard, as well as maintaining a strict nutritional lifestyle is what gave me the body I have today. When I used selectorized machines, practiced yoga 3-4 times per week, attended “cardio kickboxing” classes, or went for 2-5 mile runs I DID NOT have this body. Nor did I have the sense of accomplishment and intrinsic strength that I have today. I gained 50 pounds when I was pregnant with my son, and didn’t understand why considering I was “working out” on the elliptical machine and doing leg presses. I haven’t touched an elliptical machine in years, and I have NEVER been happier with my body. Did I mention I was passionate about this? 

So why is the notion that women need to lift light to get “toned” and avoid “getting big” complete BS? Well, allow me to enlighten you.

First of all, testosterone is the key factor in the growth of muscle mass. Women simply don’t have enough testosterone to get huge, unless they ingest it purposely. Do you take testosterone? Chances are you don’t (I hope). So I don’t want to hear any hogwash about getting big or bulky (and yes, I just said “hogwash”). If you train hard and eat to fuel your body, you will gain lean mass and lose body fat. You will look like you workout. Your muscles will “show” and you will appear strong and fit. You will not look like a man because you are not a man. Furthermore, strong is the new skinny-haven’t you heard? Strong women are sexy, not just because their bodies look amazing, but because they exude confidence.

Secondly, there is no such thing as “toned”. This is a fluff term created by the media to sell misleading fitness magazines. Actual “muscle tone” is something completely different all together and has nothing to do with the appearance of the muscle. You are either strong or you are weak, fit or unfit, lean or fat. Again, if you train hard and eat to fuel your body you will gain lean mass and lose body fat. Did you see the word “toned” in there anywhere? No, because it’s not real. Change your mindset to train for strength and power and you will get your “toned” muscles. Train for “toned” muscles and you will end up with a smaller version of your previous fat self.

Train with purpose and intent and not only will you gain a better body but you will gain a stronger, more secure sense of self. That’s worth more than any SELF or SHAPE magazine could ever offer. 

Thirdly, the only way to get stronger is by progressively increased resistance or demand. When you lift tiny pink dumbbells, swing around child-sized kettlebells or spend hours taking “Zumba”, you don’t progressively increase resistance or the demand placed on the body. You waste time, and we all know time is at a premium. When you lift weights that challenge you, and gradually increase that load, you get stronger. Getting stronger is the key to a better body. AGAIN: More lean mass=increased metabolism. Increased metabolism+proper nutrition=less body fat.

To add to this point, why would you ever lift a 5 pound dumbbell? What good could that possibly do for you? Think about it, when have you ever needed help lifting something 5 pounds or less? My four year old son weighs 40 pounds! How am I supposed to lift him comfortably and safely by training with little to no resistance? How can I insure I won’t injure my back moving heavy furniture if I can’t even deadlift my body weight? Listen, ladies, it’s not your fault. The media has lied to you. They’ve told you that you need only lift soup cans or wiggle your hips around to get the body you have always desired-both inside and out. They’ve encouraged you to walk and “spin” as a means for burning body fat and to do Pilates to “lengthen” your muscles. They lied. They will always lie, because it’s what people need to do to make money. People with no integrity, or people who simply don’t know better. So, of course, it’s not your fault-you were deceptively misinformed. But, you have an opportunity now to see the light. Please don’t let me rant in vain! 🙂

Lastly and possibly most importantly, gaining physical strength directly translates to gaining mental and emotional strength, confidence and self esteem. You don’t need to be a card carrying psychologist to surmise that women could use a little more self worth and security, and a lot more positivity when it comes to our body image. And strong feels good. 

For the sake of females world wide, put down the tiny dumbbells, step away from the SHAPE magazine, and pick up something that you can’t lift more than 10 times with perfect form. Pick up a copy of “Core Performance Women” by Mark Verstegen, or “The Female Body Breakthrough” by Rachel Cosgrove. Even better yet, look up your local RKC (Russian Kettlebell Certified Instructor), and find out what you’re really capable of. Because you’re stronger than you think, and your lean, athletic body is waiting to meet you.

Don’t believe me? The following ladies are all proud members of the RKC instructor cadre. Notice what we all have in common? Bangin’ bodies. Know what we do? Lift heavy stuff. And most of us are moms. ‘Nuff said.

Myself and my friend and long time client, Jamie

Yoana Snideman, RKC TL of Revolution Fitness

Karen Smith, RKC II of Kettlebell Elite

Betsy Collie, RKC TL of Rapid Results Fitness

Delaine Ross, RKC TL of Gym Condition

Lauren Brooks, RKC TL of On the Edge Fitness