21Feb
When You Want to Up Your Strength Game, Who Best to Choose?
By Andrea Du Cane, Master RKC We were recently asked a very good question: “I’m opening a small gym and it will be a strength and conditioning facility that will cater to rock climbers, mace and kettlebell enthusiasts. Here is the conundrum RKC? SFG? Both? Or another cert?” To be fair we get that question fairly often. The person asking that question is obviously a very thoughtful athlete and business owner and he wants to make a correct and informed decision. Let me break this down as best I can. John and Pavel started the RKC many years ago – 2001 to be...
21Sep
Training Special Populations
Why focus on Special Populations? Let’s discuss the unglamorous fitness market of Special Populations (SP). This large group includes: seniors, de-conditioned, post re-hab and pregnant women. For the purpose of this article I will focus on seniors and de-conditioned populations. Many of us have lots of clients that fit into this category. That’s why it is important to realize we are much more than a personal trainer, we are the first line of defense against life’s effects and lifestyle choices. Our success working with this SP is the ability to safelyand effectivelylead them to a place of health and fitness.I believe the...
08Jul
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...
10Nov
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...
08Apr
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...
10Feb
Health & Fitness Q&A With Andrea
It is wonderful getting so much feedback from people asking all sorts of questions. I always enjoy the opportunity to share experience and knowledge with so many great people. We are all on the same journey; we just sometimes take different paths. So the first question I’m going to address is a question from LH: “One question that I have for you is…although I do have a six pack, I seem to have extra baggage in my lower tummy. I do quite a bit of ab workouts and think that I eat fairly well/healthy. It seems like a never-ending battle. Are there...
11Aug
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...
05Mar
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...
25Apr
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...