Kettlebells

Fortunately I have a barbell, weights, 12.5kg dumbbells, a few Kettlebell, a wallball, a TRX and chin up station – in fact quite a lot of gear: so I can keep going. Maintenance is the name of the game here!!

I usually just join a class and do the workout of the day in the gym that I work. But now I have some gym stuff at home, the virus is controlling everything so I work out at home. I have an Assault bike, a Bike Erg, some sets of dumbbells and kettlebells, a pullup bar-a-box, wall ball… some stuff to keep me going.

For example, kettlebell swings in-between sets to get the heart rate up and burn calories, or pushups to failure after the chest exercises are complete, or jump squats in-between back squats. Performing supersets helps save time so a typical strength session takes no more than 30 minutes.

Other than that I try to incorporate a squat or deadlift variation throughout most of the year, 1-2 pressing and pulling variations for the upper body, something explosive for the lower body (sprints, resisted sprints, different jumping variations, weighted jumps, modified Olympic lift variations, kettlebell swings, etc.), and some form of loaded carry.

Shortly thereafter, I was one of the first adapters to kettlebell training and was one of the first senior instructors with Pavel Tsatsouline and Dragon Door/RKC at the beginning of the kettlebell training phenomenon in the early 2000s.

In our house, we have workout equipment in varying weights to accommodate each kid. That way the days they feel up for jumping into my routine with me they are more than welcome and it’s so easy to hand them their own little kettlebell or resistance band and count out their reps right along with mommy.

Kettlebell swings, pull-ups, push-ups, sled push, sled pull, hammer strikes, lunges, dumbbell snatches, core work, and rope jumps to name a few of my usual choices.

There is no lane of fitness I don’t love. Barre, kettlebells, battle ropes, CrossFit, HIIT—you name it, I have done it. I love training at home mostly, but will take it to the gym when needed.

I don’t do cardio, only heavyweights, max 4-5 reps and obviously 2’6 sets depend on what I’m doing. I start with kettlebell workout + just grab two plates and do all the other exercises with those, and I end with sets of deadlift or squats.

For home workouts, I use the one with handles mainly for training my upper body (rotator cuff exercises, shoulder presses, various kinds of rows, bicep curls, crossovers, lateral raises). The short version without the handles is the one I use for my leg days (abductions, kickbacks, donkey kicks, hip thrusts, glute bridges, kettlebell squats, deadlifts with either using it to fix your tights for better contact or as a weight replacement).

I would attend kettlebell classes to pick up technical skills from well-trained coaches and adapt them to my own strengths. There are so many great tutorials on YouTube so I was able to learn how to effectively use kettlebells over a long period of time.

Before and after school hours and on the weekends, I train clients in the city. Education and empowerment best describes my style of coaching. Training others to lift and work with kettlebells are my favorite.

For example: Pull day, Knee Dominant Leg Day, Push Day, Hip Dominant Day, and Core. Another example would be: Kettlebell day, TRX day, Barbell day, Resistance Band/Cable day, and VIPR day.

Trying to go a decade of purely hypertrophy training probably would have bored me to the point of not entering a gym again. By switching in strength training, strongman, Olympic lifts, kettlebell workouts and very very limited grappling I’ve managed to always enjoy the process of improvement for over a decade so far.

In addition to my degree, I am a certified personal trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and have the following specialty certifications: Westside Barbell Special Strengths Coach, Tai Chi Healthways Standard Tai Chi Instructor, and World Kettlebell Club Kettlebell Coach.

When I train my clients, I use parks equipped with parallel bars and pull-up bars, and I bring resistance bands, a few dumbbells, and a kettlebell. It may not sound like much, but it’s all I need for a killer workout. Let nature be your gym!

I also have certificates in Step Aerobics and Kettlebell training, also Nutrition advisor where I educate clients about their dietary needs and how they can change their diets to improve their health.

My favorite things to use when working out are kettlebells, so my workout often revolves around multiplanar kettlebell exercises.

The other ways I address low back strength and recovery on the other training days leading up to that heavy deadlift day are by doing deadlift variations with lighter weight and pronounced speed (deficit deadlifts are typically my go to for the increased hamstring stretch and activation), and lately I have been doing more high rep work with reverse hyperextension machine, as well as kettlebell swings.

Well, it sure has changed since having a baby! What used to be a solid two hour “BEAST MODE” workout in the gym every day has sadly turned into a 30 minute bodyweight/kettlebell workout at home during Harry’s naps (if I’m lucky.)

After we closed our last gym, the main effort has been to produce high-quality kettlebell education covering all aspects of training and taking any person from zero to kettlebell superhero.