Kettlebell Prone Bridge | RKC Franz Snideman

This is a great substitution exercise I came up with for the renegade row, especially if you only have one kettlebell. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

The "CAUSE" state VS. The "EFFECT" State

A couple of years ago I took some workshops with Combat Expert Tim Larkin.(go to http://www.targetfocustraining.com) For those of you who do not know who he is, he is undoubtedly one of the BEST experts and teachers on combative fighting tactics than can save your life. More importantly, Tim focuses on teach people the difference between living your life in the "EFFECT" state,or the "CAUSE" State. What's the difference between the two?

When you are living in the EFFECT state you are allowing people, circumstances and external influences to EFFECT you in whatever way they want to. For example, let's say a gang banger walking down the same alley way as you pulls out a knife and walks quickly towards you. The EFFECT state naturally would mean you would run the other way or retreat. Maybe not such a good idea if you are in a dead end alley way. So in essence what is happening is that the action of the man with the knife (CAUSE STATE) is making you retreat (the EFFECT STATE). A person in the CAUSE state might have never been in the alley way to begin with. Or, he would have immediately realized that by retreating he is giving his power away. Thus he would have charged the attacker (something the attacker would never guess would happen) and would have put the gang banger in the EFFECT STATE.

Hopefully you can clearly see the cause / effect relationship here. The problem with living in the EFFECT state is that you lose your personal power and thus are left to the devices of fate, or worse yet, the non-ethical and immoral actions of a sociopath. How many people are walking around the streets, beaten down, emotionally destroyed, victimized, and only because they were never taught to realize that they do have a choice, and that living in the EFFECT state is voluntary.

There are so many areas of our lives where if we are brutally honest with ourselves we will be able to see how we have been living in the EFFECT STATE. For example, let's take food as a potential area of recurring problematic behavior for you. So you decide to go on a diet and clean up your eating habits. One week into the diet you attend a party where there is unlimited amounts of sweets, alcoholic drinks and junk food at your disposal. A person who chooses to live in the CAUSE state would be pro-active and take action as to not give in to these temptations. What might they have done?

Well, for one they might have thought ahead and known that the party would have had bad food options and instead eaten healthy food before the party began. This would have made them resist the temptation because they would have been full while at the party. I have experienced that going to a grocery store or a party while super HUNGRY can spell total disaster. The person living in the CAUSE state would be pro-active and prevent the dietary sin from taking place. The person living in the EFFECT state would have gone to the party hungry and given into his weaknesses and totally derailed himself from his true goals.

Personally, I can think of many areas of my life right now where I intentionally and often unintentionally choose to be a victim and life in the EFFECT STATE. So ask your self, what areas of your life are dominated by the EFFECT STATE? Where have you chosen to live in the CAUSE STATE? One of the things I learned from Tim Larkin is that people living in the CAUSE state prevent bad things from happening in the first place. If you think ahead and are always aware of your surroundings, you will avoid potential attacks from predators, whether they be real people or behavioral problems such as eating poorly and laziness.

Now that I am a parent, I see the wisdom in living in the cause state as opposed to the EFFECT state.

Read the following words by Tim Larkin:

"The sad fact is that teaching a child to physically
fight an adult "predator" is woefully ineffective and
very misguided.

If a hyena were stalking a lion cub none of us would
expect the cub to be able to fend off the hyena. Yet
we somehow wish that our children would be able to do
just that.

Effect State will not only get you killed -- but also
(tragically) those loved ones you are responsible for
like children and elderly relatives. We'd like to
think that there's some special training we can give
our kids that will relieve us from our responsibility
should we falter in our vigilance...

--- THERE ISN'T... it's ours until they are past that
vulnerable stage of life."

9.72: Usain Bolt 100 meters world record

This is unreal! Usain has got to be the favorite in China for the Olympics! I never thought anyone would beat Tyson Gay but I this guy came out of no where!!!

Sprinting is getting more and more EXCITING!!!!

Trip to Mexico with the Familia

We just back last week from a great and super fun trip to Playa Del Carmen, about 1 hour south of Cancun by car. This was a last minute spontaneous trip that I felt we needed to take. I was absolutely cooked from work and frankly I felt like we all just needed a nice Caribbean vacation to relax. Marianna (who will be 5 months old this Thursday) did great and watching her soak in all the stimulation was so cool. Infants learn so much every day that it's hard to imagine what is going on inside their brains. As nice as it was to travel it is always nice to return to San Diego and to Revolution!!!

Got some great reading in, got plenty of rest, got plenty of sun and more importantly I got to spend 24 hours a day with Yoana and the baby! We also got some training in ( of course), archery, jumped off cliffs into rivers, snorkeled, and got plenty of time at the beach and in the Caribbean ocean. Did a lot of contemplating on life as well and how fortunate Yoana and I are at this stage in our lives. We have much to be grateful for and we must give praise and honor to our lord and God Jesus Christ. God is good! Over and over again I still am in awe of our new baby. Talk about a life changing event. I never knew how awesome it would be and the level of emotions one could feel. Truly life changing.

Vacations are always good for me as they allow me to stop, breathe, and climb up the trees to see where I am headed in life and where I am taking my family. It allows to me to re-evaluate my objectives, my motives, and my commitment to living out my deepest held morals, values and ethics. Frankly stated, we all need to time to re-sharpen the saw and contemplate the deeper things of life. The day to day routine sometimes has a way of keeping us from the deeper things of life.



In the words of George Bernard Shaw,

"This is the true joy in life, that being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. That being a force of nature, instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die. For the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It's a sort of splendid torch which I've got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."

I would add the your life is God's gift to you. What you do with your life is your gift back to God!




Training wise: Here is my weekly program design to enhance my sprinting

Monday - Strength day in the gym
SL Deadlifts 5//5 x 5
Double Clean and Press 5 x 5
Bent Over Rows
Stretching

Tuesday - Speed day on the track
120 meters x 4 (95%)
50 meters x 3-4
Stretching

Wed - off

Thursday - Tempo Days
100 yards x 10 (65-70%)

Friday - Power/ Strength day in the Gym
Snatches with KB's / varying weights and Rep ranges
Weighted Pull Ups
Stretching

Saturday - Speed Day on Grass
Cone / Agility Work
20 meters x 3-4
30 meters x 3
40 meters x 2
60 meters x 1 - 2

Race Completed!

Well, my first race of the season is now over and I am happy to say I didn't injure myself. My sprint training since the birth of my daughter has been sketchy so my expectations for this first 100 meter were very low. I took fourth in my heat (out of 9 competitors) and ran a very slow time of 12.2 seconds. I felt my hamstrings and calves start to cramp at around 60 meters and I slowed it down and let several athletes pass me. If I had not slow down I think I would have pulled a hamstring or strained both calves. Racing is a huge shock to my body and I could tell that my body is not in race shape......not in the slightest. But that is what first races are for. Soreness today is unreal....glutes and hamstrings and obliques are fried! Feels good though!

I basically jogged as 12.2 seconds 100 meter which lets me know that I'm doing okay. If had been able to hold on I think I would have ran closer to 11.6 or 11.7. Definitely need to add some longer sprints into my training and more importantly, I just need to get out twice a week on the track. Overall I am happy I didn't injure anything and that I wil live to run another meet! I think my next meet is in June so that gives me some time to prepare! I have to keep things in perspective....running a business, new baby, keeping my marriage good, family stuff, personal growth study, bible study.....I only have so much time to dedicate to sprinting as I am entering a different time in my life. That perspective makes me less upset because realistically I have other obligations that require alot of energy and passion. It only means I have to be more disciplined with the little time I do have to train and FOCUS!

In talking with the Women's Track Coach for San Diego State University Mike LoBue, he gave me some great training advice to increase my finishing strength in the 100 meters as well as teach my body to handle the lactate better! It basically goes like this; run any where from 150 meters to 300 meters at about 85% speed, rest 45 seconds, and them immediately run a 50 meters at 100% speed. While pre-fatigueing your legs and then running the all out 50 meter sprint, you are training your body to sprint when your blood lactate levels are super high. This allows you to supercompensate so to speak so that finishing a 100 or 200 meters in competition will feel better.

I don't know about you guys, but I am so EXCITED for the Beijing Olympics this summer. Of course I am most excited for what will happen in the track and field world. American sprinter Tyson Gay looks to be the favorite and for a reason!

Track meet this Saturday

Time for me to lace up the spikes and compete. It's been exactly one year that I ran the 100 meters at the UCSD Triton invitation in La Jolla. It is always a fun and HUGE meet with lots of colleges from all around the country. The only downside to the meet is that UCSD is a super slow track. No one runs fast times there.....and that includes me. I hope to beat my pedestrian time of 11.7 that I got last year. My PR is 10.72 so I still have a long way to go to best that. Not sure if I can get back to that time but I would like to get to low 11's or at least a 10.9 in the 100. I'm 35 later this year so I know that father time is crawling on my back. Funny how when you are in your 20's you think aging will never get to you and that it will never affect you...but it does...to everyone! Funny thing I feel so much stronger and mobile at 34 than I ever did at 24. Just gotta keep that speed going...use it or lose it...right?

Training

Monday
TGU's for 5 minutes with 24kg
Tactical lunges 20kg 2 sets x 8/8

Wednesday
Clean and Press with 28kg 10 sets x 2/2

Pics of my Little Princess!

Marianna will be 4 months old on April 29. This has been the most amazing experience for us and every day keeps getting better! We're just a little time into this whole parenting adventure and I love it!!! I never could have imagined what it feels like to be a parent......it is something so supernatural that it's impossible to explain. Having a child is a miracle from God!

Alwyn Cosgrove on the Hierarchy of FAT LOSS

This following Q and A is taken from Strength Coach Alwyn Cosgrove's blog
This just makes sense and I must agree with Alwyn on these key principles in the fat loss puzzle!


Q: You mention the Hierarchy of Fat Loss a lot but haven't really explained it. What do you mean by the Hierarchy?
A: The highlighted text is a "link" to a full article where I describe exactly what it means. I am guessing you have never clicked through right?

Essentially the Hierarchy of Fat Loss (note the link) is based on the idea that in a time challenged society there are certain activities and behaviors that will result in better or faster results than other activities.

My hierarchy for fat loss is therefore:

1. Correct Nutrition

There's pretty much nothing that can be done to out-train a crappy diet. You quite simply have to create a caloric deficit while eating enough protein and essential fats. There's no way around this. The fact is - you can get lean without doing any exercise at all -- so diet remains the single biggest difference maker.

2. See #1

Yep. It really is that important. Not eating a Big Mac with a large fries and a large soda saves you about 1400 calories and takes zero seconds. Eating them and then trying to burn off the calories will require 2+ hours of pretty hard work....

Diet is #1 and #2....By comparison - training only begins at number 3 on the list....

3. Activities that burn calories, maintain/promote muscle mass, and elevate metabolism

I think it's fairly obvious that the bulk of calories burned are determined by our resting metabolic rate or RMR. The amount of calories burned outside of our resting metabolism (through exercise, thermic effect of feeding, etc.) is a smaller contributor to overall calories burned per day. The biggest chunk is your RMR.

We can also accept that RMR is largely a function of how much muscle you have on your body — and how hard it works. Therefore, adding activities that promote or maintain muscle mass will make that muscle mass work harder and over time- elevate the metabolic rate. This will become our number one training priority when developing fat loss programs. There are studies showing RMR to be elevated after 12 weeks of only 800 calories when resistance training is performed. Other studies show an acute effect of increased metabolism for 38 hours post workout.

So if you only have time to do one activity - make it resistance training.

4. Activities that burn calories and elevate metabolism

The next level of fat loss programming would be a similar activity. We're still looking at activities that eat up calories and increase EPOC.

EPOC (Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption) is defined scientifically as the "recovery of metabolic rate back to pre-exercise levels" and "can require several minutes for light exercise and several hours for hard intervals."

Essentially, we're looking for activities that keep us burning more calories after the exercise session.

In every single head to head study, interval training outperforms steady state in terms of fat loss - for two reasons -- 1) You burn more calories minute-for -minute performing the activity and 2) you burn more calories in the recovery period as a result of the activity.

If you have more time - a couple of interval training sessions per week will be the next thing I'd add.

5. Activities that burn calories but don't necessarily maintain muscle or elevate metabolism

This is the "icing on the cake" — adding in activities that'll burn up additional calories but don't necessarily contribute to building muscle or increasing metabolism. This is the least effective tool in your arsenal as it doesn't burn much outside of the primary exercise session, but it is very easy to recover from.

This category is slower or less intense aerobic work.

So the "hierarchy" is essentially a practical way of allocating your training time to the most effective activities.

What's interesting is that most people tend to start from the bottom of the hierarchy and try to work up. They do hours of low intensity cardio without adjusting diet - and eventually start doing some intervals. At some point they join a gym and "Do weights". I've lost count of the number of people who've told me they are going to start weight training when they "get in shape..."

I'm not saying exercise isn't important when trying to lose fat. But start with an effective diet. Add in resistance training. That's the cornerstone of a fat loss training program. (please note another link for you to click...) Then start adding in interval work, longer cardio etc.

Sprinting increases Power and Strength in the Gym

One of the incredible things about sprinting is the effect it has on you central nervous system in recruiting fast twitch muscle fiber, mainly the type IIB fibers. Those are the fibers that have the biggest potential to produce force. Simply put you can increase type IIB fiber activation by trying to move your body as fast as possible,. a.k.a, Sprinting; or you can lift something that is very heavy for you. One of the benefits I have noticed from my increased sprinting these days is an increase in strength in many of my gym lifts, such as presses, pull ups and front KB squats. With track season in full gear I have some track meets coming up, one at the end of April. I have been on the track only once or twice a week for the last month I can notice that the neural drive to my muscles is always increased after a fast sprint session.


Take home advice:

If you are stuck on a particular lift or feel weak, add a day or two of high intensity sprints to your training regime and you will increase your strength in the gym. Although if you are new to sprinting you must cautious in the beginning as sprinting is very taxing to the CNS. I would cut your gym volume back a bit if you plan on adding in some sprint days.

The following template would be a safe and effective place to start when beginning a sprinting program:




Monday = Sprint Session A
Full Body Joint Mobility
High Knees 3 sets of 10 yards
Butt Kickers 3 sets of 10 yards
Karioka's 3 sets of 50 yards each direction
and any bodyweight loosening drill that helps you feel loose and explosive

4 x 30 meters (1 minute recovery)
4 x 50 meters (2 minute recovery)

Remember that this is not a workout per say...you are trying to spring as fast as possible so if you need to rest more between sets....by all means take more rest!!!

Friday = Sprint Session B
Same warm up as Monday

5 x 60 meters (As fast as possible - 3 to 5 minute recover between runs)

If you are not about to out and hit the track, try some of the following to increase fast twitch muscle activation:

Vertical Jumps onto a high Box
Standing Broad Jumps
Single Leg Plyo Hops

Get out there and use the Type IIB fibers. God gave you them for a reason!!!

TSC La Jolla at Revolution Fitness

First of all I have to give a big shout out to Mike LoBue (head track and field strength coach and Jumps coach for San Diego State University). Mike and his lovely wife Brooke always bring a huge group of SDSU athletes and fitness nuts to join in on the TSC torture. The TSC would not be the same with out Mike and Brooke's help. And for that Yoana and I are very appreciative of all they do. Mike and Brooke...you guys rock!

It was fun to have Erik Blekeberg and Charlie Reid back again. These guys are true veterans of the TSC (even though they are only 22 and 23 years old) and always are the life of the party. CHEK Level 4 Robert Yang also came out to compete. Max Shank, at only 20 years old, absolutely kicked butt in his first TSC. Watch out RKC community, Max is taking the August RKC at UCLA and he will tame the BEAST, no problem!

It was a great group as usual with many first timers particiapating in the TSC. What a frickin awesome event as it truly brings out the human spirit in all of us! Congratulations to all of you who competed.

Women's Division
Kristen Karnio 23 yrs BW 160.8 DL 275 Pull Ups 3 Snatches 127
Brooke LoBue 27 yrs BW 139.2 DL 225 Pull Ups 15 Snatches 112

Men's Elite Division
Max Shank 20 yrs BW 193.4 DL 475 Pull Ups 19 Snatches 100
Mike LoBue 30 yrs BW 178.6 DL 435 Pull Ups 20 Snatches 82
Erik Blekeberg 22 yrs BW 221 DL 525 Pull Ups 14 Snatches 88
Charlie Reid 23 yrs BW 190.2 DL 450 Pull Ups 15 Snatches 78










Men's Division
Mike Pellicio 23 yrs BW 172.8 DL 415 Pull Ups 34 Snatches 102
Norm Hardman 34 yrs BW 183.4 DL 385 Pull Ups 18 Snatches 114
John Shilling 21 yrs BW 246.6 DL 450 Pull Ups 5 Snatches 102
Fernando Navarro 26 yrs BW 157.0 DL 380 Pull Ups 23 Snatches 98
Casey Wheel 22 yrs BW 163.3 DL 365 Pull Ups 21 Snatches 100
Robert Yang 34 yrs BW 186.0 DL 470 Pull Ups 21 Snatches - n/a

Dr. Mercola on Breastfeeding

(The following I found on Dr. Mercola's website and I wanted to share it with others. Yoana is breastfeeding Marianna and thank God she is)


Breast milk is the perfect food for a newborn baby; it is made by nature and absolutely nothing has been overlooked. For a newborn, one of the biggest benefits is that breast milk transfers antibodies, or immune molecules, to your baby that give them automatic immunity to illnesses that the mother is immune to. This is just what a new baby, whose immune system is not yet mature, needs.

Another quite remarkable benefit of breast milk is that the opposite also holds true. So if your baby is exposed to a new infection the organism will get transferred to the mother via breastfeeding, and the mother will make antibodies to fight the germ. Those specific antibodies then get transferred back to your baby at the next feeding thus improving their immune response.

The Benefits of Breastfeeding are Seemingly Endless -- For Baby AND Mom

Along with the added protection against type 2 diabetes, studies have found that breastfed infants have extra protection against:

* Heart disease
* Immune system cancers such as lymphoma
* Bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease
* Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
* Asthma and allergies
* Respiratory infections
* Eczema
* Type 1 diabetes

Breastfed infants also tend to have higher intelligence and a lower risk of obesity than formula-fed infants.

On top of that, breastfeeding is a mutually beneficial experience for moms and babies. In fact, women who breastfeed have a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancers and osteoporosis later in life. They are also able to return to their pre-pregnancy weight faster (breastfeeding uses up about 500 calories a day!).

What are Your Rights as a Breastfeeding Mom?

Despite the undeniable benefits, in the United States breastfeeding is still not as widely accepted as it should be. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among infants born in 2004 (the most recent data available):

* 74% were ever breastfed
* 42% were still breastfeeding at 6 months of age
* 21% were breastfeeding at 1 year of age
* 31% were exclusively breastfed through 3 months of age
* 11% were exclusively breastfed through 6 months of age

So while over 70 percent of moms begin breastfeeding right after birth, only 11 percent are still doing it exclusively six months later. This means that most children are not receiving the benefits that come from exclusive breastfeeding in the first months of life.

Even the CDC states, "Compared with breastfeeding combined with formula feeding, exclusive breastfeeding provides more protection against lower respiratory tract infections, acute otitis media [ear infections], atopic dermatitis [skin irritation], and childhood obesity."

There are, of course, hurdles for many women who would like to breastfeed exclusively, particularly since not all workplaces and public areas are as open to it as they should be.

Which is why, if you are a woman who wishes to breastfeed, you must know your rights.

As of January 2008, the National Conference of State Legislatures states that 39 states have laws that specifically allow women to breastfeed in any public or private location. These states are:

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Wyoming

Meanwhile:

* 21 states exempt breastfeeding from public indecency laws
* 14 states have laws that address breastfeeding in the workplace
* 12 states exempt breastfeeding mothers from jury duty

To find out the laws in your state, La Leche League International has compiled an excellent list of breastfeeding legislation in the United States, which you can search by state.

So please do not assume that you are not “allowed” to breastfeed in public or at work. In most states, it is actually against the law to try to prohibit you from this natural act.

If you want to give your child the best start nutritionally, ideally you will breastfeed exclusively for the first six months. Breastfeeding should then be continued at least for the first year, and The World Health Organization recommends continued breastfeeding until your child is 2 years old or older.

For Moms Who Can’t Breastfeed

As natural as breastfeeding is, a small percentage of women are unable to breastfeed due to physical reasons. This can be an extremely emotional issue, as many women then feel they have “failed” their child in this way. But in no way should you ever blame yourself for an inability to breastfeed.

New moms who are experiencing difficulty breastfeeding can first contact a lactation consultant to rule out any problems with positioning or routine that may be interfering. If, however, you are simply unable to breastfeed, remember that you are still doing the best you can for your child.

Things I am Excited about!!!!

Well life keeps getting better and better with our new daughter. She will be 3 months old this saturday and watching her change over these last months has been amazing. She's starting to laugh and giggle and copy facial expressions.....especially when I stick my tongue out at her....she always returns the favor!!!!

Business has been busy which is great! It's fun when you are able to wake up in the morning and love what you do because teaching people to be super strong, fit, mobile, fast, powerful and healthy is a worthwhile endeavor. Those of you who are strength and conditioning professionals will relate. This job rocks!

Training wise I have been following a program out of Pavel's BEYOND BODYBUILDING which calls for training Monday through Friday, performing 5 exercises for 1 set of 5 reps. That's it, super simple, yet very effective. Here are the exercised I have done:

1) Weighted Pull Ups w/24kg 1 set of 5
2) Double Clean and Press w/ 24kgs 1 set of 5
3) Double Front Squat w/24kg 1 set of 5
4) Double Snatch w/ 24kgs 1 sets of 5
5) Single Leg Deadlift w/24kg 1 set of 5/5

The reason I like it is that it allows me train almost every day, lift something relatively heavy, and not get sore. The not getting sore part if great. What is interesting is that in the 3 weeks I have been training like this I have put on about 3 pounds of muscle. Even though the volume is low, I think the consistency of training has caused me to gain weight. So for me it really comes down to short, ULTRA BRIEF, and consistent workouts.

Sprinting:

Today I start my third week back on the track and it feels wonderful. The WHAT THE HELL EFFECT from kettlebells definitely is a factor here. My speed feels like it's there in the shorter distances (0-50 meters). Of course my speed endurance is still not there as that will take time to build up. I have a couple of track meets coming up in April that I am gearing up for.

Client Profile: Richard Jaffe

I am very excited to be highlighting my client Richard Jaffe of La Jolla, CA. Richard started training with me in winter of 1999 and has been getting more fit and increasing strength ever since. Richard is an avid Golfer as well as a total basketball nut! (check out his bio here) He and his family are some of the most generous people Yoana and I have ever met. It is a pleasure to train Richard, his lovely wife Ann and his three children Brett, Charlie and Maxi. You will not find a more positive, fun and outgoing family than the Jaffe's.


Richard recently wrote and published an amazing book of poetry he has written through out his life. The Book is called "Inner Peace and Happiness" and can be viewed and bought at his website: Richard Jaffe's Website Check out his poetry and for sure you will find many that speak to your soul!

Photo Montage of Marianna!

The following we put together as a photo montage of the first 10 weeks of life of our new daughter. I am a proud daddy and she has changed my life! How can I not share my joy with the world. she is so precious and so special! God blessed us and continues to bless us big time!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Revolution KB Introduction Workshop

Last Saturday we gave a INTRO to KB workshop at Revolution. We had a great group of people show up and the seminar went very well. I am constantly reminded how much I love to teach after each workshop we do. It was an honor to have 3 marines attend who have been to Iraq and will be returning to Iraq this summer (Fran,Kim and Adam). Thank God for Marines and all the Armed Forces that answer the call of duty and protect our country.

Alex King also came down form Kettlebell LA to help out. It is always great to see Alex and Floyd and to see how see their KB company continue to grow and grow! Congratulations to all who attended the workshop and we hope you will apply the information and techniques to improve your KB training!

My twin brother Keats Snideman's Philosophy on Health

(these pics were taken in 2004 at Josh Henkin's house. Fun times for sure. Josh killed us all with Atlas stones, kegs, tires and all of his strongman training. Senior RKC Geoff Neupert also gave us a great two hour Olympic lifting seminar. Omar was also there, as were Troy Anderson, Mike T.Nelson, Jim Kretz, Ray De' Alesio, Jason Rhymer, and more. Steve Cotter was asleep in Josh's house and my brother Keats had just left to go home)

I found this on my brother's website and thought it was very solid stuff. I think most people reading this blog will agree with Keats' principles!

Philosophy

Coach Keats, What Is Your Philosophy?

As a lifelong student of health, fitness, sports perforamnce, rehabilitation and nutrition, I am always studying and trying to stay current with the latest scientific and evidence-based information out there. Therfore, like most coaches, my theories and philosophy on training, programming, and healthful living are dynamic and likely to slightly change as new information and experience encourages me to do so. However, if I were to sum up in a nutshell my philosophy for helping others achieve optimal levels of health, fitness and subsequent high performance living , it would be contained in following practical and science-based recommendations:

1) Stay Hydrated, aka: “Never Get Thirsty”

No person or athlete will function well with sub-optimal hydration status. How do you know if your hydrated? Consume enough water and/or other suitable beverages until your urine is very pale yellow or clear (even better). Dark yellow urine is totally unacceptable and means that you are already dehydrated! Of course too much water can be a bad thing as well. A condition known as hyponatremia (low blood sodium) can be very dangerous and lead to dangerous swelling of the brain and subsequent death. Every year a few unfortunate athletes die (in endurance events mostly) who have over-hydrated to the point of hypotnatremia. This will not be a problem for most people though (thankfully)!

2) Stabilize Your Blood Sugar Levels, aka: “Never Get Hungry”

Stabilzing your blood sugar thoughout the day is best accomplished by eating approximately every 2-4 hours (3 seems to be optimal for many). This means eat breakfast, a mid-morning snack (or second breakfast if you’re a Hobit), lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, dinner, and possibly a pre-bed snack. People who eat in this fashion are leaner, build and mantain muscle mass easier, have better physical and mental performance, and even have lower blood lipid profiles compared to those who eat less frequently. It is important to mention that these meals must be balanced in the three primary macronutrients however for this type of meal frequency to be effective. In general, most meals will need to contain some amount of protein, carbohydrate, and dietary fat depending on the time of day, what activity/exercise is about to done or has just been completed.

3) Get Enough Sleep, aka: “Go To Bed!”

Getting enough sleep may be the most important key to your health and wellness. According to Stanford sleep researcher William Dement, healthfull sleep is more influential than diet, exercise and even heredity in predicting longevity. So how much sleep do we need? Experts will all agree that there is no magic number since people”s needs will vary based on age, health, and activity levels. As a rule of thumb, younger children and infants need more sleep while adults can do well getting between 7-9 hours of quality sleep. Teenagers usually need more sleep than adults possibly as high as 10 hours per night. Here’s a nice little table to summarize sleep needs for various age groups:

Age
Sleep Needs
Newborns (1-2 months)
10.5-18 hours
Infants (3-11 months)
9-12 hours during night and 30 minute to two-hour naps, one to four times per day
Toddlers (1-3 Years)
12-14 hours
Preschoolers (3-5 years)
11-13 hours
School-aged Children (5-12 years)
10-11 hours
Teens (11-17 years)
8.5-9.25 hours
Adults
7-9 hours
Older Adults
7-9 hours (maybe more due to diminished sleep quality)

4) Focus On Eating Mostly Whole Foods, aka: “The Whiter The Bread, The Sooner You”re Dead”

What this means is that most of the foods you eat should come from natural, unprocessed sources with the food in it”s whole state with nothing added or taken away. This equates to eating real meats (not lunch meats or “franken-foods”), real fruits and vegetable (not their juices), whole grains (like Oats groats, Quinoa, and Millet for example), nuts and seeds (including legumes) and even some small amounts of low-fat dairy products. Excpetions to this rule would be during or after strenuous exercise when blood sugar levels could be maintained or restored better with quicker and more refined sources of carbohydrate such as consuming a suitable sports beverage (Gatorade or Accelerade for example) or post-workout recovery drink (such as Biotest Surge or Endurox).

5) Focus On Whole (Compound) Movments, aka: “The Body Knows Movments Not Muscles”

Most of one”s training should be geared around large, multi-joint compound movements such as deadlifts, squats, presses, pulls and rows. Athletic lifts such as the Olympic lifts and their deriviatives (cleans, snatches, jerks, push-presses, etc..) should be a staple in most people”s programs as well. Supplementarty and assistance lifts (i.e. single joint movements, abdominal and trunk isolation exercises, etc…) can be added where needed to make up for any deficiencies or imbalances that are not corrected with the compound lifts.

6) Strength & Speed Before Endurance, aka: What”s The Point Of Having Endurance If There”s No Strength Or Speed To Endure?

Two of the most fundamental physical attributes needed for almost any physical endeavour are maximal strength and then speed of movement (flexibility/mobility and stability is right up there as well). Most other attributes or physical abilities stem from these two key motor qualitites. Get the Strength and Speed where you need it to be, and then focus on the endurance (whether speed-endurance or strength-endurance). This is in stark contrast to how most people train for any fitness goal. Besides, as we age, it is speed of motion (i.e. power) and then strength that we lose that fastest. Interestingly, endurance can be maintained to a much higher degree than speed or strength. This is evident when comparing masters records in various strength and endurance sports to those of younger adults. Even in endurance events, you’re race pace is based on having a higher top-end speed; this is why speed work is so crucial to endurance athletes.

7) Be Goal Oriented!

Studies routinely show that people/athletes with specific and preferably written goals, accomplish more than those who simply want to improve. I mean, who doesn’t want to improve? Deep down, I think everyone one of us longs for more in many facets of our lives. However, without clear and very specific goals, improvement doesn’t usually occur at the pace we desire if ever. In my years in the fitness, sports and rehab industries, I ‘ve heard so many poeple say things like “I’d like to lose weight” or”I’d like to tone up a little.“ These wishes are almost universal among de-conditioned people and are way too vague to actually lead to any meaninful behavioral changes that would accomplish such goals. This is where having a science-based goal setting stratgey comes in handy. There are several approaches out there used for goal setting but the one that I find the easiest is summed up in the following acronym: SMART
In general, goals are pretty meaningless unless they are:

S- Specific.

M- Measurable.

A- Attainable.

R- Realistic.

T- Time-based.

NOTE: There are so many other factors to great health and physical & mental function, but if people would focus on making these key principles a habit, there would be a lot more highly functioning stong and lean individuals walking around Just take a look at Clarence Bass (http://www.cbass.com/) who at 69 is far fitter and healthier than most men half his age! Check back to this list of habits as I”ll be adding more information as my thoughts get a little more focused.
Content ©2007 Keats Snideman

Mallakhamb Video

This looks to me be a cross between Yoga and gymnastics. Very interesting to say the least! Could be a form of fitness that you start seeing in gyms. Why not, you never know. Let me know what you think about this,

Traveling a bit!

Two weekends ago Yoana, Marianna and I took a 3 day vacation up to San Francisco and we had a blast. What a cool city! We also stopped by to visit my cousin Laura Snideman in San Mateo and from their went to San Jose to say hi to the RKC community. It was awesome seeing everyone; Pavel, Rif and Tracy (finally got to meet her), Fawn Friday, Sara Cheatham and her husband Mike, Chris Holder and his fiance, Vincent Mays, Dr. Mark Cheng, Zar Horton, Mark Toomey, Joe Sarti, Michael Castrogiavanni, Brett Jones, Dennis Armstrong, Andrea and John Ducaine, and the ever so strong Santa Cruz dudes, Tyler Bramlett and Logan Christopher. Of course it was nice to see Dan John there because he really does bring life to any party!

And last weekend I went to Phoenix to take my 5th NMT (Neuromuscular Therapy) seminar from Paula Bergs, a Minnesotan. It was UPPER EXTREMITY! She is a fantastic teacher and knows her stuff like you couldn't imagine. Next post I will give a brief review of the workshop.

I finally started training last week and will start posting my workouts this week!