The Power of Kettlebells

I got lucky at the gym today. A kettlebell was left out. They keep them locked up for some silly reason. So I quickly put it somewhere it was less likely to be found by the staff and finished lifting. I had plans for it.

When I went into the yoga studio to do my intervals, I grabbed it. Here's what I did. I put it at one end of the room, sprinted to it, picked it up and did walking kettlebells swings to the other end, then did side slides (just going sideways by pushing off with my trailing leg) down and back, and then picked the kettlebell up again and did the walking swing backwards. It was hard but good.

Kettlebells are a great way to work out, either as resistance training or as a way to juice your intervals. You can even buy a couple and easily use them at home. There are tons of resources online with ideas for how to use them.

Here's a nice video that demonstrates the walking kettlebell swing.

Age is Meaningless, Part 3

Green Bay's Brett Favre completed 13 of 14 passes in the second half of last night's game against Denver, including an 82-yard touchdown pass to win the game in overtime. He's 38.

Putting Fitness to Work

I spent a good part of yesterday helping a friend with some yard work. As I was pulling up some deep roots from a plant she was getting rid of, I realized I was using the same technique as the deadlift. When I was chopping up a tree, I thought about how I was using my core to power the ax and protect my low back. (And the chopping action, which you can mimic at the gym with medicine balls, is a great full-body workout that quickly boosts your heart rate.)

So what you do in the gym translates to everyday life.

The Cure for an Aching Back

On one of my better days of surfing a few years back, I left the water barely able to bend over to take my leash off my ankle. Yep, my low back was killing me.

So many of us have had similar experiences, if not from surfing then from some other sports activity or even from simply moving the wrong way. While I've had a couple of other scares, my overall back health is much better because I've spent a lot more time strengthening my core and watching my form.

The New York Times' sports magazine Play makes the point that core strength, flexibility and cross training are crucial to low-back health. It even has three good exercises that'll help you rid yourself of back troubles.

The Benefits of Small Victories

There are moments during workouts when you do something just a little better than before. You know them. Maybe you do one more rep than you've ever done before. Maybe you lift a little more. Maybe you sprint five seconds longer.

Whatever it is, never let one simply pass by. Realize what you've done. Congratulate yourself. And let the victory spur you ahead.

Today when I was jumping rope between intervals I successfully performed the criss-cross. Now, I've done this before but usually I think about it too much and wildly exaggerate the movement. I didn't today and when I realized what I'd done, it gave me a little extra boost for the rest of my interval training.

The Simplest Nutrition Rule

A friend who is a very good health writer and I were talking today about an article in Men's Health that says bad fats may not be as evil as some doctors say. It's a truly interesting piece that takes apart some of the reasoning behind the saturated-fat-is-bad philosophy.

But is it right? I don't know. I do know that I am doing things like eating eggs much more often because I read more and more about how their benefits outweigh their drawbacks.

Then my friend said amid all the debates about what's best to eat it's probably best to follow one simple rule -- if it's processed, don't eat it. When she said that it reminded of what Jack LaLanne said so long ago: "If man made it, don't eat it." Hey, he's more than 90 years old and still doing great, which ought to make you think there's something to what he says.

Get Off the Ball

There are plenty of good uses for stability balls, most of which involve core work.

The other day I used one for a core move that involves putting your feet on the ball with your hands on the floor in a pushup position. Keeping your core braced, in other words not sagging in the middle, you pike up your hips, pulling the ball forward. Then walk your hands out a couple of steps so you're back in the pushup position. Repeat. It's tough.

But too many trainers seem to believe they're a good way to make workouts exciting. So they use stability and Bosu balls, those half stability balls, in some pretty dumb ways. At my gym, for instance, I so often see a trainer make a newbie do squats on the Bosu ball. I've yet to see a client do the squat properly, and it makes me want to yell, "Teach them to do bodyweight squats on the ground before you even think about using a Bosu ball."

Super trainer Craig Ballantyne agrees.

Still the Best Exercise Ever

Simply put, the deadlift rules. I've written about before. Now, Men's Health has a piece on it, saying it once was called the health lift. And yes, it's great for women, too. In fact, it's great for anyone who wants to be in shape and know how to pick up things without getting hurt. Give it a try.

No, No, No

I saw it again at the gym yesterday -- someone walking around with no plan. What's worse, she was going from one largely useless isolation arm exercise to another. Even worse, she was doing them on machines.

Remember, the best way for men and women to get the most out of their workouts in the least amount of time is through exercises that work multiple parts of the body, such as squats, pullups and pushups. As usual, I have backup on this.

The More Resources, The Better

I stumbled upon a decent training Web site, Stack.com, which says it's for athletes, by athletes. The site has a few problems. For instance, clicking on Stack Widgets gets you nothing.

But it also has some nice workouts and videos. One example is this from the Cornell lacrosse team, which I'm planning to use today (possibly with some modifications) as my intervals training session.

A Rarity at the Gym

I was heartened today to see someone doing deadlifts and then showing others how to do them. As I've written before, the deadlift is one of the single best exercises anyone can do. But you rarely see it done in most mainstream gyms, which is ashamed.

Do you want to be in the best shape ever? Add deadlifts to your routine.

Older and Wiser

As we age, we learn to get more from our training and to get the most from our bodies during competitions, a story in today's L.A. Times says.

It makes complete sense to me. I'm getting smarter about how I train, for instance. Until recently I trained six days a week, lifting three days and doing cardio three days. But that practice left my legs always tired because they often worked all six days.

Now I lift and get my cardio in on the same days, giving myself the next day off. The result? My legs feel refreshed when I hit it again.

Age is Meaningless, Part 2

At 43, Vinny Testaverde started, and won, an NFL game yesterday at quarterback.

"Physically, after watching him for a few days, there's no question in my mind he can handle it," his coach, John Fox, said according to Sports Illustrated's Peter King.

Wrong, Wrong, Wrong

Why is it that some people go to the gym day after day only to do the wrong exercises with poor form? They obviously care enough to get to the gym, which is more than many of us can do. Do they not know where to look for guidance? Do they even know they're not doing it right? Are they assuming gym trainers will step in to help (when was the last time you saw a trainer actually help someone with form)?

I saw it again today at the gym. A guy came in, did a few reps on the machines, which are generally not worth using, and went from one exercise to another as if it was a circuit -- it wasn't. When he did a good exercise, one-arm rows, he did it wrong, rounding his back, going too fast and using almost no weight.

What's the lesson here? There are plenty of resources out there, including ones I point to here, that will teach you what to do and how to do it at the gym. Use them and you'll see how your gym time will transform your body and health.