Bad Instructors give the Bells a Bad name!!

Here's an email from a Client of ours who knew someone who had a bad experience with kettlebells.. We're running into more and more "weekend certification" or worse yet, "non-certified" kettlebell instructors who are playing the "right of passage" game at the expense of their clients safety and enjoyment. At Fitnessxt we are 100% into continued education and making sure that we are able to keep offering you the BEST instruction out there so that you can enjoy the full potential of this functional and highly effective training... and have fun too!

Here it is....
Thought I would pass this along! I work at a college and I have a college girl that works for me, and today she said "have you ever heard of kettlebells?" and I said "YES - that's what the class is that I do on M/W/F/S - (she knew I worked out but didn't know exactly what I did). She told me her mom tried doing it yesterday for the first time - somewhere in Holland, and this is what her mom emailed her...

OMG! I hate kettlebells! I hope next week Tuesday takes a long time to come back around as I don't want to go back again...it was awful, and hard, and I threw up on the way home (for real), we had to pull over to the side of the road so I could get out and puke! Nasty!

Oh the things we do to ourselves!!!
Dad said, "wouldn't riding bike be alot easier?"
I totally agree with him!! So,if somebody offers you a kettlebell class....don't take it :-)

I told her to tell her mom to hang in there and that it gets easier! And it's FUN!!! Grand Rapids


Moral of the story...
Check out your instructors credentials "before" you attend one of their classes and don't assume that "easier is better". =)
Train hard, safe and have fun!
Jerry

Are Tight Hip Flexors causing yor Back Pain?

There are a few muscles that can flex the hip, but the two most powerful ones are the iliacus and psoas muscles, commonly referred to as The Hip Flexors. These two muscles originate at different places on the spine (see picture below) but both insert into the front of the femur at the same spot. They are responsible for spine and hip flexion, maintaining curvature in the low back, and stabilization of the pelvis and spine. For this reason, the best stretch to target all the angles of this muscle is the tri-planar hip flexor stretch.

When the Hip Flexor muscle is tight on the front of the body, it pulls on the low back and places extra stress on the facet joints in the back of the spine. It can also affect the gait (the way someone walks), which could potentially place extra stress on knees or ankles. Muscles behave similarly to rubber bands. When you put a weight on a muscle, it causes it to overstretch. Once the weight is removed, there is often less elasticity in the muscle, which makes it more prone to injury. In the picture below, you can see how the hip flexors are the weight pulling on the hamstring. Therefore, though you may be experiencing hamstring strains, the solution may be a hip flexor stretch. Let us help you decide if you have biomechanical imbalances and help to restore proper function in the surrounding muscles and joints. While stretching is a great at home and preventative exercise, Kettlebell Training is superior to a simple stretch in helping the muscle to elongate and breaking up adhesions that form when the muscle gets short.

If you are experiencing low back pain, chronic hamstring tightness, or feel a "pulling" in the front of your hip, there's a good chance the hip flexor is the culprit. Ask me how to help you stretch it daily and have less back pain.
Enjoy better Quality of Life! Jerry

The Turtle always Wins!!

My favorite saying is.... "The Turtle always Wins!!"
Meaning, that every effort is 100% worth it and will pay off in the long run.
It's the ones who try to push the envelope too quickly that I worry about as they typically have a breaking point and can't keep up the momentum... get frustrated and go backwards.

Be the Turtle!! =)
C u soon!

With age comes experience!!

Today Liberty & I began this year's pre-season traineing of the FSU Women's Softball Team. I know, these girls are not over 50 by any means (try 20 years old at best), but look at the experience that we as their Trainers have!! We may have accumulated a few wrinkles over the years but we are still strong and agile like Bulldogs! LOL

The knowledge that we've banked from "our" years of training under Certified Educators, Doctors, Personal Trainers and elite Russian Coaches have only added onto the personal experience we have gained from our own trial and error. Liberty & I have participated competitively in many sports ... Racquetball, running, bodybuilding, martial arts, adventure racing, etc, etc. and have utlitized the traditional means of weight training to cross train for our sports. But since we were lucky enough to get in on the early exposure to Kettlebell Training, we have found that by far, we can praise the kettlebell for being a superior tool for athletes to achieve maximum strength, endurance and agility compared to muscle isolation!! The synergy of the lifts lead to extremely strong cores and posterior chains... giving most athletes the power they need to dominate in their sport!

So once again... we're excited to share our 50 + bodies to demonstrate and minds to share with others who can also benefit from the most porgressive type of cross training out there! Rock on Gireviks!!

Getting Started

Are you over 50 and scared of getting started in an exercise and healthful eating routine? This is a very common scenario, but I assure you that it "if" you have the true desire ... I can educate you as to how any mere mortal can achieve what I have achieved. I wasn't born with great genetics, nor a super physique... I had to search out those who could teach me how to put the genes on the back burner by reducing inflamation in my body. How did I do it? I had to earn it! Yes... I seeked out and hired the people who could get me there. Sadly, the media, food & drug industry and the main stream will not get you there.
It's impossible fo most doctors to work against the big money makers, so the information that you receive may not always be the best option for health. If you're looking for a band aide to your body fat and pain, then a drug is probably going to make you happy and you should quit reading this article. LOL However, if you want to actually reverse and fix the things that are making you sick and over weight, then I will show you how to address the problem and take reasonably small steps towards a you that will enjoy a happy/healthy retirement, playing with grand children and a body that respects the youthful attitude that you feel inside.
Contact me to schedule an appoinment (p.t. fees apply - visit my webpage at: http://www.fitnessxt.com/fitnessover50.htm) and I will share my knowledge/passion and guide you through how to get started.

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