Back to the Basics

I have pushed my training pretty hard over the last few months. I have had some nagging little pains and issues lately that are the result of over training(again). I even suffered a spasm in my lower back this weekend, something that has not happened in 2 years. It is pretty easy to over train with all of the teaching I have been doing over the last year. I decided to time off as of last Wednesday and evaluate where I need to go next in my personal training.

It has been long time since I set down and looked at what exercises really set the stage for great returns on training. I spent the last few days really going back over all of the massive amounts of material that I have acquired over the years of KB training and it was clear what I needed to do. Damn that Evil Russian! It came down to going back to the basics, Enter The Kettlebell! Once again, Pavel's genius shines through the darkness to lead the way.

What I have found once again is the power of swings and Get-Ups. The swing is a great foundation for rehabbing and correcting those ills we suffer as members of modern society. The core and posterior chain tends to suffer from our sitting around all day in meetings, drives and entertainment choices. It would not be that big of a deal if we knew how to just get moving. What does the swing do? It requires you to utilize those areas that are atrophying due to lack of use. It adds strength to the core, reducing back pain and rebuilding flexibility. Oh yeah, it burns lots of fat off the body as a perk!

The Get Up as taught by Gray Cook and Bret Jones is an assessment, rehab and strength building gem! The Get Up strengthens every muscle in the body. It builds flexibility, stability and allows you to develop mobility through proper body mechanics. It is almost magical in what it can do. It places a heavy load on the entire body with a reduced risk of injury. It is a basic move that every person performs everyday! The week or so that I worked Get Ups prior to taking time off went a long way toward fixing some shoulder and arm issues that I have been experiencing.

I am looking at a 12 week cycle of the ETK Program minimum. I started it tonight with swings. I began with 3 x 10 sets of Wall Squats, Halos and Pumps. I figured if I was going back to the basics, why not go all the way. I hit 4 sets of 20 swings coupled with 1 minute of movement, i.e. burpees, mountain climbers, side straddle hop for 12 minutes of training. Relax into Stretch finished it off for tonight. Tomorrow will be Get-Ups. Lets see how this goes.

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