Tag - exercises

kettlebells workouts

Why Kettlebell Workouts?

Wondering what the benefits kettlebell workouts have over traditional free-weight workouts? Andrea Du Cane, Master RKC, Director of Certifications, Dragon Door Publications and owner of Kettlebell Fitness, shares her insight on kettlebell workouts. What do you like about kettlebell workouts? Kettlebell workouts are functional and full-body, making them a very efficient tool for all your workout goals. You can spend as little as 10-15 minutes and get a full-body workout. The variety of sizes allows all populations to use them safely and effectively. And because they are relatively small, they don’t take up much space so you can use them in your home or...

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Why the Single-Leg Dead Lift Should Be One Of Your Go-To Leg Exercises

Why do I love single-leg deadlifts so much?  Well, for one thing nothing works the butt and legs quite like it.  Add the extra benefit to the back, core, lower legs and feet and you have a full body exercise.  As Gray Cook likes to say, “Maintain your squat and TRAIN your deadlift” – especially the single-leg deadlift. I have to share with you a personal story; I’ve had four Patellar dislocations. Yes, FOUR! The first one happened after a two-hour ballet/pointe class. The second happened in the middle of a jazz dance class. The third happened when my tango...

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Interview: Andrea Du Cane on the 2016 Dragon Door Health and Strength Conference

Q & A with Dragon Door Author, Andrea Du Cane about her upcoming presentation at the 2016 Dragon Door Health and Strength Conference Secrets of The Windmill: A Deep Dive into The Athletic Benefits of This Remarkable Yet Under-Utilized Exercise Dragon Door: Why are you a big fan of the windmill, and why do you think we don’t normally hear about this exercise much? Andrea Du Cane: I think it’s not so much that we don’t hear about the exercise, I think that it's misunderstood. I think people tend to not fully understand the purpose of the windmill, its uses, or how to perform...

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Abs: So Many Ways To Train Them – myths and truths

In the pursuit of getting a “six pack” or even flat abs, I’d like to touch on a couple of myths and provide some sound information. First of all, getting a six pack requires more than just abdominal crunches or planks. The most important element to getting a six-pack is diet. Yes, I know, no one wants to hear it. We all want to believe “spot reducing or target training” alone with give us those washboard abs. It just ain’t going to happen without a proper, low carb and calorie restricted diet. So if a six-pack is at the top of...

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Kettlebell Workouts: A completely unique total body workout

A number of years ago I wrote an article for Twin Cities Wellness introducing and explaining Pilates as a fabulous fitness program. I still believe in Pilates and continue to teach classes. I now want to introduce you to a new and completely unique total body workout. That's a tall order, an all-in-one fitness program. It is very rare to run across a completely new and different form of exercise--one that includes strength training, muscular endurance, cardiovascular health and fat loss, in one workout! The Russian kettlebell is a time-tested system of strength and endurance training. I would like to...

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The Single Rep Dead Stop Swing, Clean, Snatch Workout

As I travel around teaching HKC and RKC’s, I notice a common problem (theme – challenge), the sloppy start/stop of a Kettlebell ballistic lift. Imagine this scenario: someone is getting set up to swing; it doesn’t matter if it’s 2-handed, single arm or double.  They get over the Kettlebell, lift it up, and rock it back a couple of times between their legs and THEN swing it back far enough to load their hips and explode up. What’s wrong with this picture?  The set-up was not correct, was not focused nor was it properly executed. There must be an intention and...

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The Problem With Knees (Or “why” the knees give us problems?)

Ask anyone over the age of 30 if they have ever had knee problems and the likely answer will be yes. Knee pain is one of the most common complaints among all age groups, athletes and fitness/lifestyle backgrounds. One of the reasons for the vulnerability of the knee, is the way the knee is designed. It’s a hinge joint held together only by ligaments that connect the femor (thighbone) to the tibia and fibula of the lower leg. These lower bones connect the knee to the ankle and the femor connects the knee to the hip. There is...

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Shape Really Does Matter: How body types affect your or your clients’ training

I remember early in my Kettlebell teaching career, I made the comment in class to “rest your elbow on your hip bone”. A couple of people in the class looked at me funny and then proceeded to slouch down with a flexed spine. I looked at them and realized it was literally impossible for them to touch their elbow to their hipbone without sacrificing their back. I have a relatively short torso in relation to my legs and arm length so it was easy for me to do that while keeping my core and back braced and strong. But someone...

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Painful Elbows? Look at Your Technique

I can’t count how many people I run into, that have elbow pain and had to stop or back off their kettlebell or pull-up training. I’m sure you know someone who has developed pain in the elbows after working up to heavier cleans and snatches or just more volume. Perhaps they have just started Convict Conditioning or some other body weight program and then find they have to back off due to elbow issues.  Maybe you have encountered the same problem at some point during your lifting career. Unfortunately, this problem is all too common these days.  Chalk it up...

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The Deadlift Row With Andrea Du Cane

I hope you enjoyed my last post and video on the low or pendulum swing. The second exercise I came up with during my knee re-hab was the kettlebell deadlift row. This is an incredible back and lower body exercise that again anyone can do. It follows the deadlift/hinge pattern, the key to a lower body killer workout is to keep the shins as vertical as possible and yet drop your hips down as low as possible. This exercise really targets the mid-back muscles, like the hard to strengthen Rhomboids, as well as lower trap, lats, triceps and biceps. The key...

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